Lucas's Adventure: Book A
by SnowLucario
Summary: Lucas Snow, an autistic boy, decides to go on a Pokemon journey. His world, which he always likes so predictable, is about to be turned head over heels. Can he survive in this brave new world of his, or will it destroy him? Inspiration came from "Pokemon: A Marvelous Journey, Johto Arc" by SaoirseParisa. Rated T for swearing and violence. I don't own the cover picture.
1. Prologue: Being Different

Lucas finally was able to get out of school, after such a long day. Well, it really hadn't been any different from the normal length of a school day, it was just that it had been particularly difficult for him, so that it _felt_ like a longer day.

After walking over to his bicycle, he got on it and started pedalling towards home. He'd passed bike safety with flying colors, and, because of this, he was now allowed to ride his bicycle home from school alone. That was what happened when you turned ten in his school.

Along the way, he passed a lot of his neighbors, but he paid them no heed. He couldn't help but dwell on what his teachers had told him that day.

 _Lazy! You're just lazy, that's all. Can't you just pay attention like everyone else?_

How could he explain, to the satisfaction of his teacher, that the class just didn't interest him? It should have been so easy to explain that he wasn't able to concentrate on what he wasn't particularly interested in. He preferred to sit in the back of the class and draw pictures of Riolu. That was his favorite type of Pokemon, after all.

He arrived home eight minutes after departing the school, for he only lived about half a mile away. Using his long legs for his age, he strode up to the back door of his house. (That was the door they usually entered through, so it wasn't as though this was weird or anything).

"I'm home!" he told his mother.

Lucas could hear the sound of his brother downstairs. Jason had stayed home sick from school that day, and he was clearly playing video games. Lucas wasn't going to go downstairs in order to talk to Jason, though - he didn't want to get sick himself.

"Good afternoon, Lucas" his mother replied sweetly. Noticing that her younger son looked as though he wasn't in a good mood, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you" Lucas replied. He followed his mother into the living room, where she had laid out a plate of cranberry cookies. They were fresh out of the oven.

After both of them sat down on the couch, and each took a cookie, Lucas's mother said, "So...what is it?"

The young boy had a hard time putting it into words how he felt, how it seemed that everything was going wrong.

"All of the teachers have been calling me lazy" he said finally. "I don't know why that is. I mean, I try to do my best work. It's not my fault that all I want to do is draw Riolu pictures".

"I think I know what's going on" his mother said eventually. "Do you want me to explain to you?"

"Please do" Lucas replied, perking up at that suggestion. He was now sitting straighter in his seat, wanting to know what the answer was.

"Do you remember all of the speech therapy you used to do? That you still do sometimes".

"Yes, I do _r_ emember" her son said. He was concentrating on saying his R sounds, because those were the sounds he'd always had difficulty with.

"And the OT?"

He remembered all too well. For the most part, he recalled that he'd been forced to stand on one foot for thirty seconds, which had been more arduous than one might expect. It had taken him twelve tries to do so.

"Well...all that is because you are...how do I say it... _different"._

Lucas perked up yet again. He wanted to know how he was different, because he'd always found uniqueness cool. If he was different from the other kids, it would explain a lot.

"When you were two years old, you were diagnosed with something called Asperger's syndrome".

"What's that?" her son asked her.

"It means that you're very interested in some certain topics, while not interested in others. That's one way in which it manifests itself".

"I see". Even at the age of ten, Lucas knew some big words such as that one. He took another cookie and looked at his mother. "So I'm different?"

"Yes, you could say that" she told her son. "For instance, it seems that you are very interested in Riolu. Well, when you're thirteen, you can go on a journey with a Pokemon. How does that sound?

"Sounds wonderful" Lucas replied. "But this Asperger's thing...is it a disease?"

Lucas's mother decided that she was going to be honest. "Some people would have you think that it is...but I prefer to see it as a difference instead".

 _But I prefer to see it as a difference instead._

Lucas would always try to do the same. For the rest of his life, he'd always attempt to see himself as different, not broken.

"You're different, Lucas. Not broken. Not lazy. It's going to be fine".

* * *

 **This is the start of what I plan to be a fairly long story. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and don't forget to review to tell me what you thought of it. I don't plan on speaking for everybody on the spectrum by writing this, but I hope that at least one person will read this and realize that they're not alone.**

 **Yes, I am autistic. I've had it since I was 2, and I'm just used to it by now.**

 **I know this was a really short prologue, but the next chapters are going to be much longer.**


	2. Professor Rowan

**Once again, I would like to thank SaoirseParisa for her inspiration. Like I said, the similarities between our two stories have been given her OK.**

 **I'd like to thank everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed the last chapter. I hope that you enjoy the second chapter just as much. But let's get into it now.**

* * *

 **SUNDAY,** **JUNE 12, 201X - 6:03 AM**

 **GARDENIA, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 96 DEGREES**

Gardenia...what could be said about it?

It was a small town, a suburb of Pastoria City, and a great place to raise a family. Because it was in the southern part of the continent of Sinnoh, there were four seasons, so the residents got to experience a varied climate.

There was a downtown area, which contained several mom-and-pop businesses, a coffee shop, a bank, and a post office. There was also a train station for the commuter rail that residents would take into Pastoria for their jobs, or just to hang out and have a good time. In addition, the downtown area held a library, one that people loved to visit and check out books from.

And, in one home not far from said downtown, a young boy was sleeping. He had no idea of the destiny that awaited him, but that was about to change.

The cleanliness of his bedroom left much to be desired. There were two very tall bookshelves and a desk at one end of the room, where there was also a beanbag chair on the ground. Shirts, pants, socks, and boxer shorts were strewn all over the floor. He had more clothes than he knew what to do with, especially since many pairs of his clothing, he refused to wear. The reason was because his feet were extra-sensitive to certain sensations, none of which he liked.

Like I said, the boy was sleeping for now, but that wouldn't remain the case for long. Soon, the light from the sun began streaming into the room, and the alarm went off at the same time.

Lucas sat bolt upright in bed, nearly bumping his head on the top bunk of his bed. He'd used to share it with his brother, but Jason had moved to the room on the third floor, and that was now where he slept, Lucas remaining in his old bedroom.

He wished that he could have covered both of his ears, but that was impossible. One of his hands had to be used to silence the sound of his alarm, "Devil in a Midnight Mass" by Billy Talent.

The reason that he'd chosen this song to be his morning alarm was because it was hell on his autistic ears. As much as he hated it being played at full blast, it was sometimes necessary in order to wake him up. Lucas could be a heavy sleeper at times.

After finally shutting off that infernal alarm, he laid back down in bed, perfectly content to stare at the bottom of his mattress for a few more minutes. But after one minute of this, it hit him.

When he'd first woken up that morning, he'd had the vague feeling that something was special about today. It wasn't going to be another ordinary day in the life of Lucas Snow...there was a little more to it than that.

He pressed the home button on his iPad, and, sure enough, it read _Sunday, June 12_ on it.

 _It's my birthday!,_ he thought excitedly to himself. _I'm thirteen today!_

That knowledge gave Lucas the energy he needed in order to get out of bed and get dressed. After that, he headed down the creaky stairs towards the kitchen.

Along the way, he passed the pantry, where a calendar was attached to the wall. The twelfth of June was circled, and on it was written _Lucas's 13th birthday._

To his surprise, his mother and his brother were already up. Lucas's big brother, Jason, was slightly thinner than he was, roughly as tall, and a little more than two years older. He was sipping on a cup of coffee, something that Lucas didn't drink. He'd tried it once, but had found it far too bitter to even remotely enjoy.

"Happy birthday, bro" he said. "Nice".

Lucas couldn't help but smile in return. "Thanks, Jason".

As for Lucas's mother, Aubry, she was an average-sized woman with short brown hair and spectacles. She had been cooking pancakes, but, when she noticed that her younger son had arrived in the kitchen, she ran over to Lucas to hug him.

"Happy birthday, Lucas" she told her son. "You're thirteen now; isn't that awesome?"

"Sure is!" the autistic boy replied. "And today I'm going to get a Piplup!"

"Be careful what you wish for, bro" Jason said. "You know that they might be out of them by now".

"I'll eat really quickly", Lucas said, "so that I can go on over to the Pokemon lab in town. I don't want to be late".

"Don't eat too fast, bro; you might choke" his older brother told him.

Lucas managed to show some restraint when his mother set a stack of pancakes in front of him. He did cut them rather than eating them whole, like an animal. At the same time, one had to admit that he ate a lot faster than most people did.

That said, they were good pancakes. He knew that his mother would only have made the best for his birthday.

"Where's Dad?" Lucas asked his mother.

"He should be coming down soon enough" Aubry replied. "He's on a work call right now, so he couldn't join us for breakfast. There will be plenty of pancakes left for him, though".

"Okay" Lucas replied. "But can we go right to Professor Rowan's lab now?"

"Hold your horses, Lucas. It's not even been twenty minutes since you got down here, and you already want to go see Professor Rowan? Why so early?"

"I just don't want to be too late for a Piplup" he replied. "You know that, right?"

"I suppose" his mother replied, although Lucas could tell that Aubry didn't sympathize with her son too much. That said, she did understand more of how Lucas's mind worked than many other people.

For one, Lucas always wanted to arrive at places on time. If he was even a few minutes late to an appointment or a social group, that could be enough for him to go absolutely crazy. He wouldn't throw a huge tantrum, necessarily, but you didn't want to be in the same room as him. Since he wasn't old enough to drive himself anywhere, it was necessary for others to take him places.

"Well…" Jason said. "You could just let him go on his own. You do say that he should do more things by himself. This would definitely be one of those things".

Aubry scratched her chin. "Yeah, I could...but remember to look both ways before you cross the street, Lucas".

"I always do" the younger boy replied. "Don't worry about that".

"I can't help it. Especially since...ah, never mind".

Lucas had the feeling that his mother was about to say, _Especially since you're autistic,_ but had decided against it. It wasn't as though being autistic was something that embarrassed Lucas anymore, but he knew that his mother often didn't like to talk about it around his brother.

Just then, Lucas's father came walking into the kitchen. Rodney Snow was a large man (6 feet 2 inches, 210 pounds) who wore glasses and had thin, graying brown hair. He walked over to both of his sons.

"Happy birthday, Lucas" he said casually, as though he was saying what he'd just had for dinner the previous night.

"Thanks, Dad" his son replied.

Rodney worked for a company that manufactured Pokeballs. Since he was ranked fairly highly in the company, he brought home a considerable amount of money. However, with great power came great responsibility, to put it one way. Even when he and his family were on vacation, their good times would frequently be interrupted by work calls. All members of the Snow family had learned to accept it.

"Are you ready to get your starter today, Lucas? Thinking of going on a journey?"

"Yes" his son said.

Lucas looked over at Jason. Ever since both of them were little, Lucas had always felt inferior to his brother. Jason was more independent, more athletic, more of a model student…

Of course, Jason had never been on a Pokemon journey. Lucas, on the other hand, really wanted to do it. He wanted to do something his brother hadn't done, just for the sake of bragging rights. He wanted to be better than his brother, in a way.

"Excellent" Rodney said. He then turned to Aubry. "There's a lot of bad news at the company. Team Rocket, for one".

Jason spat out the bite of pancake he'd been eating. "Wait...what about Team Rocket?"

"Well, I was talking to Margaret Coats, the CEO of our company. She had quite alarming news for us about them.

"Maisie Coats says that Team Rocket's planning more and more evil schemes. They're making it more and more dangerous to ship Pokemon to the labs for new trainers to start".

Lucas's stomach dropped. Well, it was okay, because he'd still be able to get his Piplup. Just so long as he got to the lab soon enough.

Of course, Lucas's first choice would have been a Riolu, if all of those drawings from elementary school were any indication. While those Pokemon _were_ native to Sinnoh, they weren't starters, meaning that it was highly unlikely they would be at Professor Rowan's lab.

So he'd have to settle for a Piplup, which was at least blue and related to snow. That was pretty cool, since it also had to do with his last name. At the same time, it was quite disappointing.

"What are they doing to combat Team Rocket, Rodney?" Aubry asked her husband.

"Well, there's going to be a lot more security on airplanes, for one" Lucas's father said. "And, of course, the shipments are going to be delayed considerably. The question is whether or not we can get Lucas there fast enough for him to get the type of Pokemon he wants".

Lucas's heart leapt. He was going to get to go to the lab _soon._ He was going to get there on time, something that was exceedingly important to him.

"Go upstairs and make yourself look presentable, Lucas" his mother told him. "I want you to look good for Professor Rowan".

"Will do" her son replied. After he had finished his pancakes, leaving a small pool of syrup on his plate, he walked upstairs and, for the first time in what felt like a long time, combed his hair. Lucas looked at himself in the mirror, wondering if he looked presentable.

Lucas was rarely one to care about his physical appearance, but, for what it's worth, he was a tall boy with relatively long, fluffy, light brown hair. He did not wear glasses, throwing his ocean blue eyes into starker relief. They were intense eyes; his gaze could be very vicious indeed.

 _All right,_ Lucas thought to himself. _I think I look pretty good._

After applying some deodorant, he went back downstairs, where his parents were now eating breakfast.. He didn't know what else to say other than "Good-bye".

"Bye, Lucas. I'll see you once you get back. And tonight, where do you want to go out for dinner?" It was a tradition in the Snow family to go out to dinner at the restaurant of the birthday boy's (or girl's) choosing.

"How about...Sisyphus's Steakhouse?" Lucas asked.

Sisyphus's Steakhouse, named after a character from Greek mythology who was cursed to always roll a stone up a hill, was thus named because the restaurant tried to keep making better and better steaks, trying to break the record for best steak. Of course, the record for "best steak" was entirely subjective, so Lucas didn't really see the point.

"Noted" his father said. "Anyway...good luck. Don't get upset if they don't have Piplup there, there's usually very high demand".

Lucas nodded. If there weren't any Piplup at the lab today, he could always come back tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week. It wouldn't be the end of the world.

After giving his parents hugs and kisses, he walked out the back door and started heading into town.

It was roughly a ten-minute walk to the Pokemon lab, which was in the central area of town. It was one of those businesses in that line on the main street of Gardenia, in between a hair salon and a dojo.

Lucas was sweating by the time he reached the main street. The day was hotter than he had expected, even though it was only, according to his watch, 7:26 AM. Besides, he wasn't the most athletic person out there.

He reached the sign for the lab and followed the arrow down the staircase. He'd never been in here before, but he'd seen pictures of it from his schoolmates. Those who had Pokemon partners, that is. No member of his family had ever set foot in here, that he knew of.

As Lucas walked down the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, he was struck by how much cooler it was down here. It was a welcome change, for sure, from what it had been outside.

He found long, low room full of shelves. He saw that there were healing machines, which were used for injured Pokemon who did not have any infections to note. The healing machines could not cure illnesses - for that, rest, fluids, and possibly antibiotics would be necessary.

How did Lucas know all of this? Well, he spent a lot of time reading books about Pokemon, eagerly anticipating the day when he would have one of his own. Now...that day had finally arrived.

Lucas entered the room at the end of the hallway, and found Professor Rowan at his desk.

Rowan was a tall, skinny man with white hair and mustache. He was reading a book of some description, but Lucas couldn't tell what book it was. All he could see of it was that it was a very large book, probably larger than a Bible.

"Hello, young man" Rowan said.

"Oh. Good morning, Professor Rowan" Lucas replied, eager to ask the question.

The professor looked at Lucas for a minute. "I think I've seen you before around town. Are you the one with the older brother? The autistic one?"

 _How does he know I'm autistic?_ Lucas wondered. _Is it my voice? Or something else?_

"Yeah" Lucas said, nodding. "I'm assuming that you know why I'm here, right?"

"Yes...you want a Pokemon, don't you? Is it your birthday?"

"Yes, I turn thirteen today. Technically, I'm not thirteen yet, since I was born at 9:01 AM, but you get the idea".

"I see...well, we're all out of Piplup".

* * *

 **Yep...they're out of Piplup. Well...I think this is a good place to stop.**

 **Also, if you want to read another Pokemon story, make sure to check out Camp Eevee, which I am also currently working on.**

 **With that, I'll see you next time.**


	3. A New Friend

**Here is the third chapter of Lucas's Adventure: Sinnoh Arc! I would like to thank all of you for over 100 views (103 to be exact, which is the highest temperature I've ever had, coincidentally), and I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 201X - 7:34 AM**

 **PROFESSOR ROWAN'S LAB, GARDENIA, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 96 DEGREES**

"Really?" Lucas asked. He was trying to keep control of himself; he didn't want to throw a tantrum over not being able to get the type of Pokemon he wanted. That would create a scene that he really didn't want to be known for.

"Unfortunately, all of our supplies of Piplup have run dry. You could get a Turtwig or a Chimchar, although I must say one thing: If you are dead-set on getting a Piplup, you'll have to wait".

"How long?"

Rowan scratched his chin. "Well, let's see...packages are being inspected like crazy thanks to Team Rocket's schemes. For the most part, the labs in the big cities are receiving their shipments first, then the smaller towns, like this one. Based on that...I'd say that our supplies might be renewed in around three to five".

"Three to five _what?"_ Lucas asked.

"Three to five _weeks"_ Professor Rowan clarified. "Sorry about both that and the fact that we're out of your preferred Pokemon. Like I said, we'll restock in a couple of weeks, so it's not going to be the end of the world".

Lucas's first reaction would have been to tell the Professor that yes, for someone like him, it _was_ the end of the world that he couldn't get a Piplup. However, he reminded himself that this wouldn't be productive. He could throw himself at everything in the room, but that would only result in injuries and an immense amount of property damage. It wouldn't let him get a Piplup.

After the boy didn't speak for a while, the Professor said, "Look, I know you're upset about this, Lucas. But, like I said, it's not the end of the world. I suggest that, if you don't want a Chimchar or Turtwig, you leave now, as there are going to be more children coming in, all of whom would like their own Pokemon".

Lucas gave Professor Rowan a dirty look before turning around and scaling the steps once again. He found himself back in the hot Gardenia morning, when many of the shops were just opening for business. The central tree, always lit up during the holiday season at the end of the year, looked remarkably barren right now, in the summer heat.

 _Well, I might as well head home,_ the young boy decided. _I can come back in a couple of weeks, and they'll have a Piplup for me. It's going to be just fine._

That was the attitude Lucas tried to keep as he walked past the library and towards the street that led to his house. He didn't expect anything too interesting to happen on the way back, except…

There was something small and blue on the ground. Normally, Lucas wasn't one to pay attention to roadkill or anything like that. To be quite frank, he found those things quite morbid, and not something he was interested in. Now, however, he was fully focused on what this was…

...for it was a Riolu.

"Are you okay?" he asked the Pokemon. He could tell that it was unconscious, not dead, since it was clearly still breathing.

He hadn't expected it to talk back. For one, it was unconscious, and people couldn't talk to Pokemon anyway. At least, they couldn't understand the Pokemon language, which was distinct from all human languages.

So Lucas was very surprised indeed when it talked back to him.

 _I'm hurt...badly. Can you get some help for me?_

"Sure thing" Lucas said breathlessly. Even though he knew that time was of the essence, since the thing was bleeding slightly, he couldn't help but realize something.

 _He could talk to Pokemon._

He'd never noticed that before. This was the first time he'd ever tried. For all he knew, perhaps everybody could, but nobody told anyone else.

 _Should I tell Mom? Or Dad?_

He wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to do either of those things. At the same time...priorities. This Riolu was lying there, injured.

Lucas tried to remember what he knew about first aid, which, considering that he was only 13 years old, wasn't that much. Had he known more, he would have known that, unless absolutely necessary, it was a bad idea to carry an injured person. Surely that would have applied to Riolu as well, but Lucas didn't care anyway. He just wanted to get it to help.

"Can I carry you?" he asked the Riolu.

 _Please do,_ he said. _It's fine._

As Lucas lifted the Riolu, he accidentally touched his forehead, and he noticed that it was as hot as a heater at full blast. "You have a fever" Lucas said, trying not to sound alarmed. However, he highly doubted that he succeeded at this.

 _Not surprised. I feel quite sluggish. Please, take me somewhere that they can help me._

In order to turn an injured Pokemon in to a Pokemon center, you needed a trainer's license. Lucas did not have one of those, even though he was expecting to get one fairly soon, since you needed a trainer's license to become a trainer, much like one needed a driver's license to operate a motor vehicle.

Lucas's mother, on the other hand, _did_ have a trainer's license. As far as he knew, she had never gone on a journey before, but it was possible that she had done so during her youth. He'd never bothered to ask.

"What's your name?" he asked the Riolu. "I need to know what to call you".

 _It's Orkun. I think it means "thank-you" in some language, but I'm not quite sure. Please, get me to someone who can help._

"Will do".

The Riolu was lighter than Lucas had expected. Even though he was big for his age, he wasn't particularly strong, and his arms were soon trembling from the weight he was carrying. Even so, he managed to get Orkun to his house.

"All right" Lucas said. "This is my house. My mother expected me to come back with a Piplup; I wonder what she'll think when she sees that I have a Riolu".

 _Uh…_

Lucas felt the need to do damage control right there. "I'm very happy I found you, though. My mother's going to help you".

Aubry was a registered nurse, but, since it was a weekend (and Lucas's birthday), she wasn't in the office today. She was standing in the kitchen when Lucas arrived at the door, carrying Orkun over his shoulder.

"What's going on, Lucas? Where's the Pokeball? Normally, he gives you a Pokeball if you get a Pokemon from him".

"It's a long story" Lucas replied.

"I have time" his mother said.

"Basically", her son told her, "they didn't have any Piplup there, and I just couldn't see myself starting off with anything else. Because of that, I decided to head home. Along the way, I found this Riolu. He's very sick and hurt".

"How can you tell that he's sick?" Aubry asked Lucas. "I thought _I_ was the nurse in this family".

"His forehead's really hot. Could you just check his temperature?"

"I'll do that right now. Where's the wound?"

"It's on his leg" Lucas replied. He'd seen it as he was carrying Orkun back from the sidewalk in front of the library.

"Okay" Aubry replied. She laid Orkun down on the couch and went to get a thermometer.

Once the Riolu's temperature had been taken, Lucas's mother's eyes were wide. "It says that his temperature is 103. Plus, he's wounded- could be blood poisoning".

 _Oof,_ Lucas thought. He didn't really know that much about blood poisoning, but it didn't sound as though it was anything good.

"Let's take this thing to the nearest Pokemon center; they'll be able to treat him, I'm sure. I was going to ask you why you thought I'd let you keep him, but...yeah, we've got to get him there. You can come with me".

So they got into their vehicle, and his mother started driving them towards the Pokemon center. The closest one was in the opposite direction as the Pokemon lab, near where Lucas had gone to elementary school.

Lucas couldn't help but notice that, as they drove, his mother looked very anxious indeed. No, not just _anxious -_ she looked as though she were reliving bad memories.

"What's wrong, Mom?" he asked her.

"Oh, nothing" Aubry replied. "Nothing's wrong. But let's just get Riolu there, and he'll be good as new pretty soon".

Judging by the tone of voice that his mother was using, Lucas could tell that she wasn't telling the truth. However, he decided to ignore that for now.

They arrived in front of the Pokemon center, a long, low building painted tan on the outside. Lucas insisted on carrying Orkun in there.

"How are you holding up, buddy?" he asked the Riolu.

Orkun groaned. _Really, really hot. Just get me in there, and I'll feel better pretty soon. They can cure me._

"Don't be silly, Lucas" Aubry told her son. "You can't talk to Riolu. I thought that you knew that".

Lucas's heart stopped. He'd just made a very big mistake in front of his mother - revealing his secret, without meaning to no less. He didn't know what he'd do next, but he figured that his best course of action would be to get his mother to forget about it.

They walked into the building and followed the signs leading to the hospital wing of the Pokemon center. Pokemon centers basically served two purposes; inns for both humans and their Pokemon, and hospitals for Pokemon. If anybody could help Orkun, it was the nurses here.

As soon as they walked into the hospital section, Aubry and Lucas headed into the emergency department of the Pokemon center. When they were at the desk, their information was processed, and they were then told to sit down and wait.

"What's wrong, Mom? I know that _something_ isn't right, the way you're looking right now".

She looked at her son. "I'll be honest with you, Lucas...I'm not all right. I just can't get over how this brings back bad memories".

"What type of bad memories?" I asked, somehow feeling self-conscious. Why did I feel so self-conscious about this?

"When you were a baby, you got very sick. They kept you in the hospital for a few days when they were waiting for the test results to come back. I was terrified, because it was quite a scary illness. I'm so glad you're okay now".

Lucas nodded. This wasn't the first time he'd been told this story, but he hadn't given it much thought for the longest time. However, it did make sense that it would result in his mother having, for lack of a better term, post-traumatic stress.

Soon enough, they were called into a room. They explained the problem, and it turned out that Orkun's fever had risen to 103.6.

"We've got to get him in right away" the Nurse Joy said. "It appears that he has an infected wound, so he'll have to be on antibiotics for a while, in order to kill it".

"I see" Lucas said, looking at the floor. He knew that his Pokemon was in good hands indeed, but that didn't mean that he wasn't worried about Orkun.

"Come in here, if you want. We'll e-mail you with whatever room Riolu ends up in. He's going to be fine, with the proper treatment".

Both Aubry and Lucas nodded. "I'm actually a nurse" Lucas's mother said. "I know a thing or two about infections, but I'm not going to interfere in any manner with what you're doing".

"It's fine" Nurse Joy said. "Well...do you want to come in, Lucas?"

The birthday boy nodded and walked into the room beside the nurse. He noticed, at the same time as he had done so, that his mother had not come into the room with him.

And then he remembered what she'd told him about how scary it had been for her when he was sick as an infant, and things made a little more sense to Lucas.

He watched the way Orkun grimaced as the needle was put into his arm, and Lucas grimaced at the same time. He'd known the Riolu for less than an hour, and he was already feeling for the little guy. Orkun's pain was causing him pain...he was pretty sure that this constituted a little something called _empathy._

Lucas had always been told that he needed to have more empathy for those besides himself. It was something he'd very often struggled with as a younger child, and had continued to in adolescence.

Even though watching this Riolu, this cute little Riolu, get stabbed in the arm in order to start an IV was painful, he felt, in a way, that he was more complete for doing so.

There had been people in his life- sometimes teachers, sometimes other students, sometimes other people entirely, who hadn't always treated him like a full person, for his seeming inability to emphasize with others. This was something Lucas regretted very much.

But now, seeing Orkun so ill...made Lucas feel more _whole_ inside. He no longer needed to worry about not properly feeling empathy for others, because he'd proven that he could. Well, not proven to anybody else yet, but he had proven to _himself_ that he could feel empathy, and that was the important thing.

Eventually, once the bag of antibiotics had been hung from the pole and was beginning to drip ever so slowly into the veins in Orkun's left arm, the nurse said that Lucas should leave.

"Where did you find him, by the way?" the nurse asked Lucas.

"He was on the street, injured...I couldn't just leave him there like that".

The nurse patted him on the back. "Let me tell you, that was the right thing to do. And I'll tell you a bit more about what's going on with Riolu here".

"His name's Orkun" Lucas blurted out. Almost immediately, he realized that it was the second time that day that he'd made that mistake. He'd implied that he could speak to Pokemon to the nurse.

"Okay. _Orkun_ here" - she said that as though she didn't believe Lucas in the slightest- "will be kept in the hospital for two days. We'll run some tests. Give him some antibiotics, too, just in case it's a bacterial infection. If it's a viral infection-".

"Then what?" the young boy asked. "What if it's a viral infection?"

"Then he'll be fine, but we'll be one baby step closer to a post-antibiotic era, where they don't work anymore".

"I see" Lucas replied. The thought didn't make him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, to say the very least.

"I suggest you head home. Enjoy the nice day. We're going to take really good care of him, and he'll be as good as new soon enough".

"You promise?" the birthday boy asked the nurse.

"Promise" Nurse Joy replied.

"Very well, then" Lucas said. "Well...I'll be back to visit Orkun later".

"See you".

With that, the young boy walked out of the ER with his mother, heading back to the car.

* * *

 **I've been putting these out at a blistering pace, but I will slow things down in the near future...trust me. Thank you for reading this chapter, and I would like to know what you thought of it.**

 **See you next time!**


	4. Homecoming

**Let's see what's going on since the last chapter...well, it's only been two days. This story's view count has doubled; it's now at 212. We're boiling, guys! (At least, if you live in the United States).**

 **I didn't watch the State of the Union speech Trump gave, but I did watch Joe Kennedy III's rebuttal to it. But that's enough about politics.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, because this is where things are going to start to get interesting.**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 201X - 9:12 AM**

 **GARDENIA, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 96 DEGREES**

As Aubry drove them away from the Pokemon center, Lucas couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make Orkun so sick. Yeah, it might be a viral infection, in which case he'd only have to stay there for a few days, but it might not be.

Lucas, even though he wasn't a medical expert, knew a thing or two. If it was a bacterial infection, and therefore actually required treatment with antibiotics, the Riolu might have to stay there quite a bit longer than what the doctor had stated.

His mother had told him about what had happened to him in the past, but Lucas couldn't remember ever having to stay overnight in a hospital. He'd been very little when it had apparently happened, so that was no surprise, but, at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like for Orkun.

"Are you okay, Lucas? You look...sad".

"I am" the boy replied. "I don't know what else to say. I'm sad".

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that" his mother replied. "But Orkun will be just fine. You need to stop worrying about him".

Lucas nodded. "I don't really want to go to Sisyphus's Steakhouse anymore" he said after a while. "I just don't really think I'd enjoy it too much".

"I see" Aubry said. "Well, that's fine. Truth be told, I'd be fine with cooking your birthday dinner. You know how much I love you, and want only the best for you".

Her son nodded again. "Yeah. I want to visit Orkun later, actually. Could we maybe eat in the Pokemon center's restaurant? Or is that only for guests?"

"I can ask" Aubry replied. "But you wouldn't be allowed to bring food into the Riolu's room. They just don't want to get anything dirty, because then there would be a risk of infection".

They pulled into the driveway, and Lucas got out of the car. He was struck by just how hot it was. It had to be at least ninety degrees out, the hottest day of the year thus far.

"Well", he said, "I think I'm going to go do some reading".

"Sounds good" his mother replied, searching in her purse for the key to the house. "Got it" she said.

As soon as his mother had unlocked the door, Lucas headed inside and up to his room. He searched his bookshelf for the specific book that he was looking for. This wasn't an easy task at first, because the bookshelves were seven feet tall. Lucas, who stood at a height of 5 feet, 7 inches, often had to stand on the large beanbag chair, or sometimes the lower shelves, to reach the books on the top shelf.

"Here we go" he said to the room, once he had found the correct book.

Said book was _A Guide to the Various Pokemon of Sinnoh,_ by Tyler Corey. It was a very large volume, well over 700 pages long, and, according to the MSRP on the back of the book, cost $39.99 to buy. The reason for this high price was that it was a very coveted book by almost everyone aspiring to be a trainer, so there was very high demand.

Lucas was no economist, but he did know the basic law of supply and demand. The higher the demand, or the lower the supply, of an item, the higher the price of the item could be expected to be. It was no surprise that this was a popular book, since it was basically an encyclopedia of all the different types of Pokemon a trainer could expect to encounter in Sinnoh.

The Pokemon were assorted by PokeDex number, but there was an index in the back. Lucas wasn't the biggest Pokemon nerd- for the most part, in fact, he had never aspired to become a trainer until he had turned ten. The age most trainers left home was twelve, but he knew that he might not be ready at that point. Lucas just wasn't independent enough, at that age, for a Pokemon journey.

However, once he was ten, that was when he had started to realize he was different from the other children. It wasn't just his voice, although that was a major part of it. He was also quite sensitive to sounds, which the other kids weren't.

The door opened, and Lucas covered his ears. Since their house was very old, the door to his room was quite squeaky, and could really do a number on his sensitive ears.

"Sorry, Lucas. Was that too loud?" Jason asked him.

"No" the younger boy replied. "It's fine. Was just a little taken aback, that's all".

"Well, happy birthday" the older boy said. "I heard that you found a Riolu today. Injured, on the sidewalk?"

"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about that part" Lucas said. "In fact, I was just reading now, if that's fine".

"It's cool" Jason replied. "I was just asked to come up here to check on how you were doing. Was that okay?"

"Oh yeah, it was fine. But I'm going to read now. I'll see you later".

"Thanks" the older boy said.

After Jason left Lucas alone, the autistic boy opened his book once more and thumbed through the pages until he reached the index. Riolu, PokeDex number 447, was listed next to the page number, so Lucas went to that page. After that, he began reading about his new friend.

At least, he liked to _think_ that he was reading about Orkun. Of course, he was reading about common traits that all Riolu had in common, not just the particular one he'd found on the sidewalk. But it was cool to pretend that he was reading about his friend, because that was one way he helped to cope with the fact that Orkun was in the Pokemon center.

That evening, Lucas and his mother headed back to the Pokemon center for dinner. His father had a work call that he could not miss, which had come out of seemingly nowhere, and his brother didn't want to go there, so the two of them were alone.

Before eating dinner in the Pokemon center's restaurant, Aubry and Lucas visited Orkun in his room. It took a little time to find it, but it wasn't that hard to do so once they had seen the floor plan.

The Riolu was in a room alone, but he appeared to be in severe pain. He was moving his arm so much that Lucas was shocked he wasn't dislodging the drip that had been placed in it that morning. Orkun was sweating like crazy.

"Good evening" the nearby Nurse Joy said. "I see that you are Lucas Snow, the same boy who brought this Riolu in".

"Yes" Lucas said. "That's me.

"Man, you're tall for your age. In any case...the Riolu appears to be in a very good amount of pain, so we're giving him some pain medication in addition to the antibiotics. He's sweating like crazy - I've had to change the sheets twice since you brought him in. That signals that the fever might be beginning to break".

The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "So it might not be bacterial?"

"Yeah" the nurse replied. "It could be a viral infection that he's recovering from. In any case...you should probably leave soon, since visiting hours are almost over, and he needs to sleep".

Lucas went over and held Orkun's paw, the one that did not have the intravenous catheter in it. "Love you, buddy. Stay strong".

After that, Lucas and Aubry went into the restaurant for dinner. They placed their orders and waited for the food to arrive.

"Are you still thinking of going on a journey with Orkun, once he recovers?" his mother asked him.

Lucas nodded. "I don't see any reason why I shouldn't. You always say that you want me to be more independent; I don't know any better way to achieve that than for me to go on a journey".

Now it was Aubry's turn to nod. "We're going to have to make some preparations for a journey first, though. You're going to need to learn how to deal with money, for one. And I hope that you'll be able to handle being away from home".

"Yeah, that'll be tough" her son replied. "But I think I can handle it. Is now the best time to talk about it, though?"

"You're right" Aubry said. "Anyway...I was considering becoming a trainer when I was your age, but I ultimately decided against it".

Lucas didn't know what to say to that. Why had his mother, a very adventurous person from what he knew of her, decided not to become a trainer?

"Why not?" Lucas asked his mother. "Why didn't you decide to be a trainer?"

"It just wasn't my thing. At least, that's what I decided. I figured that there would be more productive ways to work with Pokemon than battling".

Lucas narrowed his eyes. His mother thought Pokemon battles were a waste of time?

"But what do I know, anyway? I'm just one person. Follow your dreams, Lucas".

* * *

 **TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 201X - 3:13 PM**

 **GARDENIA, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 90 DEGREES**

As it turned out, Orkun did have a viral infection. The Riolu went on to spend two days in the Pokemon center on IV antibiotics, but was released after that.

Lucas, of course, had no access to communication with his mother during the school day, so he was pleasantly surprised when he got home to find that the small Riolu was sitting there on the couch.

"Orkun! You're back!"

The Riolu gave Lucas an... _interesting_ look. _Of course I'm back,_ he said. _It was only a viral infection, that was all. I'm feeling a lot better now._

Well, _that_ was good to know.

"Do you want to go to the Pokemon lab now, so that we can get the things we need to start on a journey?" Lucas asked Orkun.

The Riolu shrugged. _I suppose. I say we head to the lab tonight, after you pack and stuff like that._

"Ah", Lucas replied. "Well, I'll start packing, so long as it's fine with my mother. I don't know if she'll let you travel so soon after being so sick".

After Orkun groaned, the human boy responded with, "I know, it sucks that she's so strict. But it's for your own good. I don't think that you'd be too happy on a journey if your head was constantly hurting like a bitch".

Orkun stiffened up. He'd never heard his master swear, but, granted, he'd either not been present or been in too much pain to really take notice of it. _How did you know about these brutal headaches?_

"My mother told me that the doctor told her that one of the symptoms of your illness was severe headaches. I'm not a doctor, but she's a nurse, and I'm inclined to trust her, you know?"

 _I see,_ the Riolu replied. _Well, could you show me around your house? I'm pretty sure that that's considered good manners of the host, to show the guest around his home._

Lucas chuckled. "Sure, Orkun. I'll show you around my house".

From the alcove where the TV and couch were (where Orkun had been sitting on the couch), Lucas led the Riolu into the kitchen, where his mother appeared to be preparing dinner. Aubry Snow was very often one to prepare for meals well in advance, so it didn't surprise the boy that his mother was getting ready at this hour.

The Snow household was not a mansion by any means, but the house was larger than average. "Here's the living room" he said. "This is where we just hang out and relax. That corner over there is where we have our Christmas tree during the holiday season".

 _What's Christmas?,_ Orkun asked.

As though he was quoting a textbook, Lucas replied, "Christmas is a holiday that's celebrated on December 25, to commemorate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christians give each other presents to celebrate".

 _So you're a Christian?_

"Well...it's hard to explain, really" the new trainer said. "You could call me a CINO - a Christian In Name Only. I don't really go to church or anything like that".

 _What's church?_

Lucas tried to articulate it. "Christians", he said, "gather every Sunday in a building to worship God. You might know him by the name of Arceus, who created all of this".

Orkun nodded. It felt weird to Lucas to be having a conversation with a Riolu, and he still hadn't explained to his mother how he knew he could speak to Pokemon. During the last two days, when they'd been visiting the Riolu at the Pokemon center. During that time, Aubry must have been thinking that Lucas was crazy.

"Anyway...want to see my bedroom?"

After the Riolu said yes, Lucas led him up the stairs into the hallway. "My room's at the end, but you're only going to be spending one night there. I'll have you sleep on the top bunk of my bed".

Once he had opened the door, Orkun appeared to be in awe at his trainer's bedroom. _Man, this place is nice,_ the Riolu said.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, it is a nice place. Like I said, though, one night, and then we're leaving. We'll just have to get the proper equipment from Professor Rowan first",

 _Like a PokeDex, a trainer's license, and all that?_

"Yep" the boy replied. "And we're going to do that all tonight, but first, I need to pack. It's not going to be too easy to do that".

 _Why not?,_ Orkun replied.

"I'm going to have to decide what I should bring and what I should leave behind" Lucas said. "Not an easy task when you're like me, because...let me tell you something".

 _What is that?_

"I have more stuff than I know what to do with, but I can't just give it all away. I can't explain it, but I always feel like I might need that stuff later, you know".

 _Isn't that called being a hoarder?_

Those words gave Lucas pause. He would never call himself a hoarder, just someone who was careful about what he decided to throw away. If doing so was considered hoarding, than so be it; he wouldn't have it any other way.

Just then, the door opened, and Aubry walked into the room. "How's it going, Lucas? You about to pack for the journey?"

Lucas nodded.

"Don't forget to c-".

"I know what you're going to say, and you don't need to remind me. I will".

"Well, pack plenty of clothes. Pokemon centers will have places where you can do laundry. As for money, we'll deal with that later, when we visit Professor Rowan in his lab".

"I'm ready to do that" Lucas told his mother. "I'm ready to see Professor Rowan".

"All right. Let's go".

"Now?" Lucas asked.

"Well, not right _now_ " his mother replied. "Just pack some clothes first, as well as any books you might miss if you leave them here. And bring your toothbrush and toothpaste. Don't forget the flossers and the charger. On your trainer's license, it will state that you need to have your braces adjusted every so often, so remember to do that".

"All right" the boy replied. Turning to Orkun, he said, "Before I can take you on a journey, we have some work to do".

* * *

 **All right. The next chapter is likely to be the longest one yet. Hard to imagine I used to write 6,000-word chapters; hoping I can get back to that. I'll have to balance this story with Camp Eevee, but I think that I can do that this time.**

 **Looking forward to seeing you guys next time!**


	5. Preparing for Departure

**I know, I'm coming out with these chapters at such a blistering pace. I hope that you're enjoying them, because we now have TWELVE FOLLOWERS. People, that is not a small number; many stories don't even get that far. We've gotten this far, but we still have a ways to go, and I'm planning for this to be a fairly long story.**

 **This is the chapter where Lucas is going to get ready to be a trainer. I was going to include all of the preparations in one chapter, but I decided that it wouldn't make sense to have a 6K chapter right after a 3K chapter, so...yeah. That's why this chapter isn't much longer.**

 **In any case, enjoy!**

* * *

 **TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 201X - 5:07 PM**

 **GARDENIA, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 90 DEGREES**

Packing turned out to be a lot more work than either of them had thought.

It is worth noting that Lucas was very often absent-minded about these things. He hadn't really done any packing at all for the journey, and, as a result, he wasn't prepared. Now, he had to put everything that he needed in his bag, and, considering that he often had a hard time figuring out what he really needed and what he didn't, that was not an easy task.

He packed some shirts, some pants, some socks, and some boxers. He made sure that he had at least five pairs of each. He'd been told that he could do his laundry at Pokemon centers, but Lucas didn't really have much of a grasp on how to do laundry. He supposed that he could learn when he was there. He'd _need_ to if he was going to survive out on his own.

"Hey, Orkun" Lucas said to the Riolu that was standing next to him. "How's it going".

 _Kind of impatient, to be honest,_ the Riolu replied. _I mean, when you think about it...yeah, I can see that you'd need to pack. I just wish it didn't take so fucking long._

"Whoa, language" the boy replied, now going through his bookshelf.

 _Sorry,_ Orkun replied.

"It's fine" Lucas said. "It's just...who's that?"

There was a knock at the door, and Jason soon opened it up. Lucas's older brother was wearing a jungle green polo shirt, having just gotten home from his own school.

"I heard that you can talk to Pokemon" Jason said.

 _That's a bit of a random thing to start with,_ Lucas said to himself. Saying out loud, addressing his older brother, he replied with, "Yeah, I can. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. I was just curious. How does that work, exactly?"

How could Lucas explain, to someone who had never done it before, exactly what it was like to speak to a Pokemon? His brother would think that Lucas was nuts, and Jason would be perfectly justified in doing so. It would make no sense at all for him to simply accept what Lucas said as truth.

"It's hard to explain" the younger boy finally said. "But let me tell you one thing".

"What is that?" the older boy asked his brother.

"I'm going to go on a journey. I'm just not content to stay here forever, you know?"

"I'm going to miss you" Jason replied. "Mom did tell me about that, though. I hope you have a good time...and I have something to tell _you"._

"What?"

"I do love you, even if I've often had a hard time showing it. Trust me...I do".

Lucas, even though he wasn't the best at reading people, could tell here that his brother was being sincere. How could Jason speak with so much conviction and not be telling the absolute truth, or, at least, what he believed to be the absolute truth?

"Can I hug you?" Lucas asked his older brother.

Jason nodded. "Just this once".

Lucas threw his arms around Jason, and Jason hugged his brother in return. Normally, Lucas wasn't the type to like physical contact. However, when it was with another member of his immediate family, he absolutely adored it.

After the hug, Jason patted his brother on the back. "You're gonna go far, kid".

"Glad you think so" Lucas replied.

The truth was, Lucas had always felt a slight amount of... _resentment,_ maybe, or jealousy, towards his elder brother. It had always seemed like Jason was better at everything. Jason was a better student, a better athlete, a better _person._ It wasn't as though his brother tended to flaunt it that much, but the sibling rivalry was still there, no matter how little either of them ever mentioned it.

"Well, good luck on your journey. I'll see you whenever I see you".

"Thanks" Lucas told his older brother. "I have to finish packing, so it's good-bye for now".

"Bye, bro" Jason replied, before closing the door.

After that, Orkun asked, _Who was that?_

"My brother, Jason. He's two years older than me, but three grades ahead of me. He never decided to become a trainer, so he's still living at home. Ah, but that's probably enough about that for now".

 _Okay,_ the Riolu replied. _Anything left?_

Lucas looked through his duffel bag one last time, making sure that he had everything he needed.

Plenty of articles of clothing...check. _Survivor_ buffs...check. Toothbrush...check. Flossers...check. Toothpaste...check. Books...check. Drawing materials...check. Laptop computer...check.

 _Don't you have a phone?,_ Orkun asked.

"No, I don't" Lucas replied. "But when we go to Professor Rowan's lab later today, I'll get something called a PokeGear, which is quite similar to a phone. Believe me when I say that we'll be fine in the communications department".

 _Good to know,_ the Riolu replied.

Just then, the door opened yet again. This time, it was Aubry.

Lucas's mother had changed into a more casual black dress, but she still looked quite good. Even though she was a registered nurse, she didn't spend that much time at the clinic, and she was here right now for Lucas.

"Good evening, Lucas" she said.

"How was work today?" he asked his mother, remembering to ask for details on a person's day before going straight to talking about going to the Pokemon center. He wished that he'd remembered to speak to her about it earlier, but the thought had slipped his mind.

"It was all right" she replied. "How was your day at school?"

"Good" Lucas said. Of course, he was often not very specific when talking about how his day had been. There was no particular reason for this; he just didn't particularly like talking about school. He didn't necessarily _hate_ school, but actually going there was enough for him; he didn't need to constantly relive it by talking about it with his mother.

"That's great to know" Aubry told her son. "Do you want to go to Professor Rowan's lab now? I see that you're all packed for your journey".

Lucas smiled. "I thought you'd never ask".

* * *

Professor Rowan looked surprised to see Lucas again.

"Lucas Snow...you're the same guy who wanted to get a Piplup on Sunday, right?"

"That's right" the young boy replied. "I'm assuming that you still don't have any Piplup?"

"Yeah, sorry. Like I said, three to five weeks is our estimate for when our new shipment will arrive. I know that this was never an ideal scenario for you, and for that I am so, _so_ sorry".

"It's fine" Lucas replied. "I actually found another Pokemon on the sidewalk, and have now taken him in to my house".

"Ah" the professor said. "Is he the Riolu next to you?"

"Yes" Aubry said. "Lucas has named him Orkun. What does that mean, again?"

"It's thank-you in some other language" the new trainer replied. "I think I read that somewhere. Believe me, I am thankful to have him".

"You might not need a Piplup after all, then" Rowan said happily. "It looks as though you've already gotten a good friend. What a catch, Lucas".

"I didn't catch him" Lucas said. "I carried him back to my house when I saw him hurt there".

"Should probably catch him with a Pokeball, then" Rowan told Lucas. "I think that's the best way to do things here".

Lucas had several friends at school who were trainers, and he saw how they would use Pokeballs to catch their Pokemon. To him, however, it seemed highly unpleasant to be trapped inside one of those things. He was rather big for his age, it must be said, and it sounded like hell to him.

"Trap Orkun inside a Pokeball?" Lucas asked incredulously. "I don't know if I can do that".

"Sure you can" the professor replied. "It's easy. Just hold the Pokeball out and say, "I recall Orkun!"

Lucas still looked quite wary of doing such a thing...as if he found it _wrong,_ somehow.

"What's wrong, Lucas?" Aubry asked her son.

"I just...it doesn't sound right to put a Pokemon in a Pokeball. You know what I mean? It just sounds so unpleasant to be cooped up in there".

Professor Rowan laughed at that, which made Lucas feel slightly angry. He didn't like when other people laughed at someone else's suffering.

"If you had become a trainer at twelve, if you had already known what it was like for a Pokemon in a Pokeball, you wouldn't feel that way. You see...they're a lot bigger on the inside than they are on the outside. It's very, very different than one might expect".

"I see" Lucas replied. Now that the professor had mentioned it, Lucas got the feeling that he had already known this. Where had he read it before…

 _Ah, yes. There was that book about Pokeballs that my father lent me._

One thing that must be said about Lucas is that he could often go back in time to when he was younger. Of course, he couldn't _literally_ do that, but he could picture what it must have been like back then. He could imagine himself when his father had taught him all about Pokeballs.

 ** _(FLASHBACK)_**

 _He was standing in the backyard of his house, about to get on the swing._

 _Swinging had always been one of Lucas's favorite things to do. The stimulation that he felt as he was flinging himself higher and higher, to him, had very little equal. It was quite a thrilling feeling, even though it really wasn't that dangerous._

 _The sun was starting to sink behind the house next door, in the direction of the town. Beyond the gate that separated the backyard from the driveway, he saw a car pull up in front of the garage._

 _It was his father's car. Aiming the swing higher and higher, so that he'd jump a very far distance when he let go, he did so. As soon as he hit the ground, he started running for the stairs._

 _Lucas's father was not an absent father, per se, but he often wasn't home when Lucas wanted him to be. The boy had to accept that his father had a very demanding job, and so he had to work long hours in order to support his family._

 _Now that Rodney had come home from work, however, it was time for dinner. That was what happened when he got home; as long as it was before seven in the evening when Rodney Snow arrived at the house, they would sit down for dinner with him/_

 _It must also be said that Rodney frequently did not eat dinner at the same time as his family, instead preferring to eat either later or earlier. If he ate earlier, that meant he was going to work out in the home gym downstairs. If he ate later, that meant he was going to go play hockey with some of his colleagues._

" _Hey, Dad!" Lucas exclaimed as his father climbed the stairs, carrying his computer bag around his shoulder._

 _Lucas's father stopped to hug him, and then both of them walked inside. At the time, Lucas was nine years old, and a very curious young fellow, so he asked his father a question over dinner._

" _Dad?" the younger boy asked, sitting next to his older brother, Jason._

" _Yes, Lucas?" Rodney asked his son._

" _What do you do for work?"_

 _His father scratched his chin, clearly not knowing just how to address the question. "Well, I work for a big company in the city. It has a very important job, and that job is making Pokeballs"._

Pokeballs. _Lucas tried to remember what he had seen of the devices. On the playground at recess one time, he'd seen his brother try to catch a Pokemon using one of them. There had been a flash of red light, and then the thing had gotten trapped inside the ball._

" _That sounds wrong" the nine-year-old boy said._

" _How so? What part of it sounds wrong?" Rodney asked him._

" _Well...putting them in Pokeballs does" Lucas told his father. "Imagine being trapped in there like that"._

" _I'm not going to lie to you, Lucas. At first, the Pokeballs were not humane at all. Pokemon who were inside them suffered until they were let out. This, of course, led to the First Great Pokemon War"._

" _What caused that war?" Jason asked. "The First Great Pokemon War. What happened there?"_

" _Well", Rodney said, "you need to understand that it wasn't just one event. It was a combination of factors, really, that created the war. However, it's important that everyone knows what happened. Can you guess why that is, Lucas?"_

" _So that it doesn't happen again?" Lucas asked._

" _Exactly" his father replied. "Well, Pokemon weren't happy with their masters for shutting them up in such uncomfortable environments, so many of them rebelled against their owners. It wasn't exactly pleasant; being cramped up in a Pokeball doesn't sound like fun"._

" _I can imagine" Aubry said, shivering._

" _Well, millions died during the first Pokemon war. A lot of cities in Kanto and Johto were destroyed. This was, of course, hundreds of years ago, long before any of us even existed"._

" _Wow" Lucas said. At the age of nine, there was no way he could imagine a length of time that long. His memory probably extended to the age of five or so, and then it was gone, with only a couple random memories from when he was_ really _little._

 _He imagined taking the length of time he could remember and multiplying it by a hundred. That was a really long time ago, and millions of deaths? That was just...insane._

" _So what happened next?" he asked._

" _The scientists at various labs all over the world decided that they were going to improve the technology in Pokeballs, so that Pokemon could be more comfortable there. This, they hoped, would cause them to stop rebelling against humans"._

" _And did it work?" Jason asked. "I mean, I assume so, because I don't see any cities being destroyed. But that doesn't mean that it's all sunshine and rainbows, does it?"_

" _Well, it isn't. We weren't able to create a perfect world, so we settled for the next best thing: One where people and Pokemon lived in harmony with each other. As a result, today's Pokeballs contain an environment that is pleasant for the Pokemon contained within"._

 _That made Lucas feel a lot better. He didn't want to die or be injured in a Pokemon attack._

" _Please pass the potatoes, Lucas"._

 ** _(END OF FLASHBACK)_**

Lucas opened his eyes, and he was still in the lab.

"Are you okay, Lucas?" That was his mother's voice.

Now, he was lying on the floor of the lab, which was colder than he had expected after such a hot day. Orkun was looking at him with worry.

"Wh-what happened?" the trainer asked.

"You just passed out, and ended up on the ground like that. I don't know what caused it. Do you think you're all right?"

Lucas accepted Rowan's hand and slowly pulled himself into a standing position. Looking around the room, he saw that the clock said 5:47 PM. He'd only been out for a couple of minutes.

Anyway...when asked if he was all right, Lucas could only nod. He was pretty sure he was fine.

"Good" Rowan replied. "It's not every day that a kid passes out in my lab. Glad you didn't hurt yourself. Anyway...we were talking about Pokeballs. You really shouldn't worry about them, Lucas".

 _How could he explain it to them?_ Lucas decided to jump right in with what he was going to say.

"While I was unconscious, I had this flashback. I remember what my father said to me when I was nine, about Pokeballs".

"What had he said?"

"He told me", Lucas replied, "that Pokeballs contain a comfortable environment for whatever Pokemon is contained within it. Can you confirm that?"

"It is true" Professor Rowan said. "Anyway...do you really want to become a trainer? Because it's a demanding lifestyle. It's not easy to leave home and travel around Sinnoh, especially not at your age. Especially since...you know".

Both Lucas and Aubry nodded. Lucas's autism was the Phanpy in the room here. He rarely ever did things on his own, and was very conscious of that.

"I do" Lucas said, like a man accepting the woman in front of him as his wife.

"Very well, then" Rowan replied. "I'll need your photograph for a license".

"What license?" the young boy asked. "I'm not sixteen yet!"

"Your trainer's license, you silly little goose" Aubry told her son. "It'll be printed on the back of your PokeDex, which will serve as your identification. Please, do not lose it".

Professor Rowan nodded. "If you are injured or unconscious, it will assist someone in identifying you. For this reason, it is vital that you keep it with you at all times. Do you understand me?"

Lucas nodded. He knew how much of a responsibility this was, and he vowed that he was going to be very careful about it from here on out.

"Anyway...the photo. Here we go".

Rowan pulled a camera out of his labcoat's pocket, and Lucas flashed a full-braces smile. After that, the professor went into a back room for about five minutes, before coming out and handing Lucas a small card with his photo, name, birth date, and medical information.

"Here you go. Your trainer's license. _You...must...not...lose...it,_ do you understand me?"

Lucas nodded again. He was committed to this. Being a trainer would carry many responsibilities, but he felt that he was as ready as he would ever be to shoulder the burden, as it were.

"What else...here's your PokeDex, which we'll tape your trainer's license to".

Professor Rowan handed Lucas a small red device that somewhat resembled a camera. As soon as Lucas held it up, he pointed it at Orkun.

" _Riolu, the Emanation Pokemon. It uses waves called auras to communicate with others of its kind. It doesn't make any noise during this time, so its enemies can't detect it. Number 447"._

"Sweet" Lucas said. "This is going to come in real handy".

"Indeed it will. Are you ready to be a trainer now?"

Lucas nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be".

* * *

 **All right! Done! I can't believe I did it this quickly; granted, I had a lot of free time today (the roads were bad on the way to my school, so there was a delay, which I spent writing in front of the heater), but still, this was a lot of words to write.**

 **If you're enjoying this story, make sure to check out Camp Eevee...and yeah.**

 **Also, here's a shout-out to The Cursed Blur. He's writing a pretty incredible story of his own that I recommend you check out. Also, I'm going to put the teams down here, just to make things simple, although I may move it to my profile page if things become too unwieldy.**

* * *

 **Lucas - Orkun (Riolu): Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter (Level 7).**


	6. The Last Supper

**And here we go into some more preparations. This is a pretty short chapter, but it's more of a transition chapter if you get what I mean. I still am fully intent on making the next chapters longer than this, so don't think that the average is going to be only 2,500 words per chapter.**

 **In any case, I'd like to thank everybody who has reviewed thus far. I'm thinking of starting a third work in progress right now, and I'm trying to get a grasp of what it could be. Fishing for ideas, as it were, can be quite difficult.**

 **Let us begin this chapter.**

* * *

 **TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 201X - 6:32 PM**

 **GARDENIA, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 90 DEGREES**

There were quite a few others that Professor Rowan had wanted Lucas to know. He'd been told about some of the moves that his Riolu had, and how to dodge.

Orkun had been taken into a back room first, so that it could be determined what moves he was able to use. Eventually, when the Riolu returned into the laboratory, Professor Rowan explained it all to Lucas.

"This Riolu is Level 7. We have a machine in there that is able to check the levels of any Pokemon that it scans. That's how we are able to know that".

Lucas nodded. Technology really was remarkable. Were he not going to be a trainer, he wondered if, when he grew up, he might have studied to become some sort of technician. He supposed that he could bow out of training at any point, but that idea didn't appeal to him at the moment. This was his destiny.

"Well", Aubry said, "that's pretty cool. What moves does it have, then?" It was plain for Lucas to tell that his mother was no expert on Pokemon's movesets. Then again, he wondered if that would really be necessary in order to be a nurse.

"It can use the moves Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, and Counter" the professor replied. "At Pokemon labs all over the world, it'll be possible to scan your Pokemon to tell which levels they are. If you ask me, _that's_ pretty cool".

"Indeed it is" Lucas replied. "Well, my mom was going to take me to the bank, to show me how to deal with money and all that. You were, weren't you, Mom?"

Aubry nodded. "Thanks, Professor Rowan. I can tell that this has always been his dream, you know? And you're helping him chase it down right now".

The professor smiled. "My pleasure, Mrs. Snow. Good luck on your journey, Lucas".

Lucas's mother led him out of the lab and across the street to a Bank of Sinnoh. "This is where you go in order to deposit or withdraw money from your account. I put a decent amount of money in there...do you remember what the account number is?"

The boy did remember. Some days after preschool and kindergarten, he'd gone to town with his mother, and she'd shown him how to work the ATM. She'd always let him punch in the code for their bank account, to the point that it was burned into his brain.

"5787" Lucas replied. "And then I press the green button".

"That is correct" Aubry said. "I believe that our balance is $11,814 at the moment. Do you know how to deposit or withdraw money from the account?"

Lucas nodded. As stated above, he'd done this with his mother tons of times before, so he did understand how the whole process worked. In school, he'd even learned about interest, about how, the longer you kept money in your account, the more money it would become, since they'd pile on an additional three percent every year.

"This account is your own" Aubry told him. "Don't spend money on things that you know you don't need. Your father's job is going to provide us with some more money to put in your ATM account, but, if you're going to go on a journey, remember that battling gym leaders can get you cash prizes if you win".

 _Nice,_ Lucas thought.

"You got that?" his mother asked him, to which her son nodded. Lucas Snow sure appeared to be ready for his journey.

After Lucas pressed the correct on-screen button, Aubry said, "Yep. It's the same amount I thought it would be. Eleven thousand, eight hundred and fourteen dollars. Not an inconsiderable sum, but don't spend it all in one place, okay?"

The mother and son hugged each other again. They sure had been doing that a lot lately. Then, because it was getting fairly late, the two of them began the walk home.

By the time they got back, Rodney was standing on the front porch. "Great to see you guys! Is Lucas finally prepared for his journey?"

Aubry nodded. "I'm quite proud of him, Rodney. He showed me that he knows how to deposit and withdraw money from his bank account. I'm really quite pleased with that, because it shows that he's becoming more independent".

Lucas didn't like being talked about in conversations that didn't include him. For this reason, he was a little peeved to hear that his parents were discussing him, and he wasn't having any input in their discussion.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "I'm feeling a little cut out of this conversation".

Both parents turned to face their son. Normally, Lucas was one to interrupt others, or cut them out of the conversation. As an autistic person, he was very liable to commit these social faux pas. Now that his parents had been doing it to him, he understood why it pissed a lot of other people off.

"Sorry about that, Lucas" Rodney said, patting his son on the back. "Like your mother said, though, we're very proud of you indeed. Our boy, going on a journey!"

They walked inside, where Jason was sitting in the study. "Hey, guys" the older boy said. "You just got back from the Pokemon lab?"

"Indeed we did" Aubry replied. "And Lucas and Orkun are going to leave on their journey tomorrow morning. How awesome is that?"

"Pretty fucking amazing if you ask me" Jason replied. Turning to his younger brother, he said, "I'll be honest, Lucas. I never did think that you'd go on a journey. Like, _ever._ That's pretty impressive, what you're going to do".

Lucas had always felt second best to his brother, but he was now reminding himself that he was doing something now that his brother had never done. That meant the world to him, in a way; he loved to be able to be better at something, at least, than Jason.

The four of them sat down to dinner, and Lucas couldn't stop talking about his Riolu.

"So, he knows four moves" the younger boy said. "Because he's Level 7. He can do Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, and Counter. I haven't seen any of them in action, though" he admitted.

"That's pretty cool, Lucas" Jason told his little brother. "Please pass the bread".

After Lucas did so, Rodney said, "So...before Lucas leaves tomorrow, what is one thing you want him to know?"

That made Lucas feel a little nervous. He had no idea what the other members of his immediate family were going to say to him. However, he did get the sense that they would say whatever they wanted, since they weren't going to see Lucas again for a while.

"I love you, bro" Jason told his younger brother. "I'm sorry if I...if I haven't always shown it".

Lucas got up from the table, walked over to his brother, and threw his arms around him. "It's fine, Jason" the younger boy said. "You did show it. Even though I'm...somewhat different, to put it one way".

"I think you've always been a very loving brother and son" Aubry told Lucas. "And you've shown yourself to be more independent as well. Just today, you showed me that you knew how to work an ATM. That's not nothing".

"How much money did you put in the automatic teller machine?" Jason asked his mother. Those words chilled Lucas to the bone.

Lucas was no expert at reading hidden meanings of what other people were saying. That was one of the many occupational hazards of being autistic. However, he could tell what his brother meant when he was asking how much money was in the ATM.

Jason was essentially saying, _How much money did you put in there for Lucas to blow on stuff that's not important?_ Lucas understood what his brother's concern was, because he didn't know anything about finances or paying bills. Even so...those words hit him a little close to home.

"I put eleven thousand, eight hundred and fourteen dollars in there" said Aubry.

Jason gasped. "That's a _lot_ of money".

"Ever since Lucas was three, I knew that he would probably want to go out on an adventure someday. The reason the money is in the ATM is to ensure that he can. Being a Pokemon trainer isn't cheap, you know".

Of course, some parts of being a trainer were cheap, while some were not. Staying at Pokemon centers, as well as the food there, were free. In some cities, medical care was free for Pokemon, while in some it was not. It really depended on which region you were in, and whether or not you became a gym leader, as it cost a lot of money to maintain one of them.

Rodney stabbed a piece of steak with his fork. "I'm proud of everything you've done, Lucas. Well, not _everything,_ but you get the idea. I think that you're going to do very well on your journey. You're going to call us often, right? And e-mail?"

Lucas smiled. "You know it".

For a while, the family just sat around the table and ate. Aubry brought out dessert at some point, which was lemon pie, one of Lucas's favorite desserts. The conversation shifted to Rodney's work.

. Eventually, Jason asked, "So, what cities are you going to go to, Lucas? I can't say I'm too familiar with the geography of Sinnoh".

Those words surprised Lucas. He'd always known his older brother to be something of an intellectual, someone who knew everything. At least, he was slightly superior to Lucas in this regard; he did his homework pretty diligently, unlike the younger boy, who frequently forgot to do it.

So to hear him say that he wasn't familiar with the geography of Sinnoh...it did a number on Lucas.

"Well", Lucas said, in between bites of the lemon filling, "I think that I'm going to go to Hearthome City first. I've been to Pastoria so many times before that I just want to do something different for a change. Does that sound okay for you?"

"It's a pretty long walk there" Rodney said. "Of course, there are a lot of Pokemon centers there, but it will take you several days. Perhaps a week or more. Pastoria's only a day away".

"I still want to do this, though" Lucas told his parents and brother. "I'll go on Route 212 first, and see if I can catch some Pokemon, maybe meet some new people along the way".

Aubry put a hand on Lucas's shoulder. "If you do meet someone along the way, remember not to jump into your own interests right away. I think that's something you often forget, and don't realize until it's too late. It's not something you do all of the time, but when you do it, you push people away. And you don't want to do that".

"Your mother is quite right, you know" Lucas's father told him. "Don't talk about your own interests at first. Perhaps you can talk about Riolu, or train schedules, or whatever, once you've gotten to know the other person. But at first, stick to introductions".

The youngest member of the Snow family sighed internally. He got that these instructions were important for him, but, at the same time, he had been told these things what felt like a million times before. It started to feel redundant after a while, so, based on that, he could probably be forgiven for wanting to talk about something different.

Eventually, he was excused from the table to go and talk to his Riolu, so he went upstairs and got the Pokeball that Orkun was in. However, Lucas was planning ahead.

He knew that, in all probability, he would catch a good number more Pokemon on his adventure. As a result, he had made the decision to place a Post-it note on top of the Pokeball, having written the name _Orkun - Riolu_ on it. They occasionally had Pokeballs in different colors, but they were fairly rare, so Lucas just had to assume that they'd all be the same shade of red.

Holding the Pokeball the same way he had seen Professor Rowan do, he said, "Go, Orkun!"

There was a flash of blue light, and the Riolu ended up standing in Lucas's room again. _It was quite nice in there,_ Orkun said.

"Glad you thought so. We're leaving in the morning, first thing. I hope that you're ready to go as soon as I wake up".

 _When do you normally get up?_ , the Riolu asked his master.

"Typically, on days that I don't have school, I set my alarm for 6:45 in the morning. The day I got you was my birthday, and then I typically set my alarm for sooner".

 _You love the word "typically",_ said Orkun.

"I suppose I do. Anyway, where's my atlas? Let me show you where I'm going to go".

Lucas searched behind his dresser for the book. Eventually, he found the book that was nearly two feet long. It was a detailed atlas that pointed out every feature of the land in Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, as well as Kalos, Unova, and Alola. He showed Orkun where he aimed for the journey to take them.

"We're going to be going up Route 212" he said. "That's this route here, which will take us to Hearthome City. Should we battle the gym leader there?"

 _Ah, yes!,_ Orkun exclaimed. _I've always wanted to battle a gym leader._

"Perhaps you're even going to evolve eventually. That would be amazing, wouldn't it be?"

The Riolu's tail started wagging, and Lucas knew that this was going to make things awesome. Whatever else one could say about the journey he was about to embark upon, even if it was like a suicide mission for someone with his condition, there was _no_ denying that Orkun was going to be an excellent travelling companion.

Of course, not _everything_ could be excellent.

For instance, when Lucas went to bed that night, he sank into a nightmare almost immediately.

He was standing on a hillside, overlooking what appeared to be a large factory building. There was a field, and the factory lay probably a mile from where he was standing.

However, something was very definitely wrong with it. As he stood there, wondering exactly what that was that was off, the factory exploded.

It may have been a slightly juvenile way of putting things, simply saying that the factory exploded. However, for all intents and purposes, that was what happened.

The explosion wrecked complete and utter havoc on Lucas's sensitive ears, which made precisely zero sense to him. After all...it wasn't like this was real.

And that was another thing that struck him, which was Lucas's awareness that it was only just a dream. Normally, when Lucas had a dream, he didn't know that he was dreaming; everything felt real to him, if a little hazy from sleep. Now, he _knew_ this was real, which was what alarmed him.

The explosion blew him off his feet, and he collapsed to the ground, completely winded. He tried to stand up again, but was hit by a faceful of ash.

 _This can't be a dream,_ he thought to himself. _It's real._

* * *

 **Yeah, one of my biggest problems with my own autism is that I talk so much about my own interests. In my case, of course, it's fanfiction that I am into.**

 **Also, I'm disappointed that the Patriots lost. But not too much, because I don't really care about sports.**

 **But that is that for the chapter, and I'm looking forward to seeing you guys next time!**

* * *

 **Lucas - Orkun (Riolu): Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter (Level 7).**


	7. Two Become Three

**All right! This has been my favorite chapter to type up thus far, and you're going to see why pretty soon. By the title of this chapter, however, I do think you'll have a pretty good idea what's going to go down here.**

 **In other news, I'm taking my learner's permit test tomorrow. In my state, you need to get 72% of the questions right (18 out of 25) in order to pass. Wish me luck!**

 **Anyway, let's get on to the chapter.**

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 201X - 6:36 AM**

 **GARDENIA, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 89 DEGREES**

"But it can't be real!" Lucas exclaimed.

In the months to come, he would never find out whether or not he had really said it, or if it had only been a part of his dream. Perhaps he was just meant to not know that.

As he had made that assertion out loud, that his dream could not possibly be real, there were several factors that were telling him otherwise. Even if he wanted to believe that everything was wonderful, and that the factory wasn't really being bombed, he had to go with what the evidence suggested. The fact that it was a lucid dream was, for him, more than enough for him to believe that it was true.

Lucas sat bolt upright in bed. Luckily, he was in bed, and not getting thrown off his feet by an explosion. That was a relief, and it meant the world to him.

Morning sunlight was streaming through his window, and Lucas realized that he hadn't remembered to shut said blinds. It wasn't like it mattered, though; he'd slept long enough, he figured, that he didn't need to sleep any longer.

He got out of bed and decided not to brush his teeth. After all, he'd already packed his toiletries, and, besides, it wouldn't hurt too much to miss just one time. After running his hands through his hair, in order to give it a quasi-brush, he looked at himself in the mirror.

 _Yeah, I look good,_ he told himself. _I think I look good enough to start out on a journey today._

As soon as he was dressed, he went downstairs, where he saw that his mother was cooking breakfast…

...and immediately there was a lump in his throat. This was going to be the last meal he ate with his mother for a long time, maybe ever. He knew that he was in no particular rush to leave; he could stay as long as he wanted within reason. Still, he was eager to get out on his own. The longer he waited, the harder it would be for him to leave.

"You all right, Lucas?" his mother asked as she saw him pick at his Kalos toast. "You're normally one who loves Kalos toast".

Lucas looked at his mother. "Yeah, but I'm just a little worried today, you know?"

"Is this about your journey?" Aubry asked her son. "You know, you don't have to do this if you don't want to".

Lucas wished that she would not have said that. He wished that she would have told him that he had to do it. Because then it would be so much easier to do just that, or to resist. No matter what decision he would have ultimately made, it would have been much easier to justify it.

Now, he was being told that he could have another option, just to stay here and keep going to school like normal.

 _No,_ he thought to himself. _That's not an option. That's never been an option, and it will never_ be _an option._

He didn't want to keep on leading the same old boring home life. Well, it wasn't necessarily _boring;_ it was never boring if you were autistic. However, he wanted to do something on his own for a change. He figured that he needed it.

"I'm going" he told his mother. "Trust me, I'm really worried about it. I am. But I think that I'll be a better person from doing so".

"I like that" Aubry told her son. "Well...once you're finished eating, you can go. Although I will miss you. Call me every day, will you?"

Lucas nodded. _As often as I can remember,_ he thought to himself. It was no secret in the Snow household that its youngest member could be rather absent-minded at times. He hoped that he wouldn't forget something as important as calling his mother, but he just wasn't too sure that he'd be able to remember that he needed to do that.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell his mother this. He didn't want to sound insensitive, not at all.

"I will" he said.

"Do you have your Pokeball with you?" Aubry asked Lucas. "The one with Orkun in it?"

Lucas looked around the table, as well as in his backpack. He realized that he didn't have the Riolu with him.

"Thanks for reminding me!" the young boy exclaimed. Jumping off from the table, leaving his Kalos toast unfinished, he bounded up the steps and back up to his room. In there, it was easy to find the Pokeball that held Orkun.

He made his way back downstairs, where his mother was waiting for him. "Did you get him?" she asked her son.

"Yep" he replied. "Man, that was nerve-wracking. For a moment, I wondered if I'd lost him for good. Thank Arceus that I didn't".

Even as Lucas was saying this, he couldn't help but think to himself, _Well, that doesn't bode well for the future. It's going to be easy for me to forget something else, too. How long until I lose him again?_

These were dark thoughts indeed, thoughts that did not go away with his next bite of Kalos toast. He didn't speak again until he was done eating, wondering the whole time if he'd be able to deal with going out on his own after all.

Once he had finished eating, Lucas said, "Well...I don't know how much longer I should stay here. I'm going to wake Jason up to say good-bye to him, though".

"Sounds like a good idea" Aubry replied. "He might be a little mad at you at first, just because you know how he feels about being woken up early. But, once he realizes why you're doing it, I really do think that he'll be fine with it".

"And Dad?" Lucas asked.

"He'll be fine with it as well, I think. He wants to see you one last time before you depart on your journey".

After the young boy nodded, he went up the stairs again, leaving Orkun's Pokeball on the kitchen table. He didn't know what he was going to say to his older brother; it was going to be a tough conversation indeed.

Jason's bedroom was on the third floor of the Snow household. It was just down the hallway from the guest bedroom, which, as the name suggested, was used whenever the family hosted a guest, which wasn't very often at all.

Lucas knocked on the door, and Jason came to answer it. The older boy looked very tired and stressed as he looked at his brother.

"Good morning" Lucas said.

"Morning" Jason replied. "You're going to leave today, aren't you?"

The younger brother didn't know how else to respond. "Yes, I am".

"I remember all the good times we had together" the older brother said. "Remember how we used to play video games with each other? That was pretty awesome".

"Yeah" Lucas replied. "But those days are long gone, I'm afraid".

"You'll come back sometimes, right? We will see you again within a month or two, right?"

Lucas felt as though, if he said something right now, it wouldn't be that huge of a commitment. "Sure" he replied, not knowing whether or not he had the intention to see the promise through. "I will write every day, too, through the e-mail service on my computer".

"Sounds good" Jason replied.

The two brothers shared one last hug, not knowing when they would see each other again. As Lucas headed down the stairs, he couldn't help but get a few tears in his eyes.

He was leaving his family, the only family he'd ever known, for a journey. He had never gone away to sleepaway camp, had never been to a slumber party even, so he didn't really know what it was like to stay away from home for a prolonged period of time. And yet, that was what he would now do.

Lucas walked into the master bedroom. His father was there, getting dressed.

"Good-bye, Dad. I'm leaving now".

Rodney Snow went over to hug his son. "You'll always have a home here with us, you get that? If you ever decide to come back, just do that. That said, I really hope you enjoy your journey".

"I think I will" Lucas replied. "I want to get to see the world. It would be awesome to become the champion of the Sinnoh League".

"Of course", Rodney said, "there's a long slog to get there. You'll need a lot more Pokemon than just the Riolu. In fact, you'll practically have to have an _army"._

Lucas snorted. "Yeah. Well, I'm about to head out. I'll write every single night".

"Remember to eat lots of healthy foods, get plenty of exercise, and don't forget to c-".

"I get it" the boy replied. "I know what you're going to say, but don't say it. You don't need to, trust me".

"Ah" Rodney replied. "Well, I'll see you around".

After one last good-bye hug, Lucas left the master bedroom and headed downstairs, where Aubry was making more Kalos toast for the other members of the Snow family.

"I'm going to miss you when you're gone" Aubry told her son.

"Me too" the boy replied, pulling his mother into a bear hug. He never wanted to let go.

As soon as Lucas walked out the back door, tears started forming in his eyes.

* * *

At first, Lucas was feeling quite lonely. He had nobody to share this journey with, and, what was more, his only Pokemon was in a Pokeball.

Of course, he soon realized that it didn't have to be this way, and released Orkun.

 _Man, it's hot out here. What time is it?_ , the Riolu asked.

Lucas pulled out his iPhone and glanced at it. "It's 7:41 AM. Yeah, a little early to be this hot, but...you know".

 _Well, you don't know everything,_ Orkun replied.

"What do you mean?" the human asked the Riolu. "Are you pulling a prank on me or something like that? I thought we were friends".

 _Don't friends pull pranks on each other all the time?,_ Orkun asked his master. _As long as they're not HUGE pranks, like stealing things?_

"Perhaps" Lucas replied.

The two of them walked down the street towards town. Lucas had allowed Orkun out of his Pokeball for two reasons.

One of those reasons was that he just needed some company as he walked along the avenue. After all, Lucas had just left his family. That was a hard decision to come to terms with, and something he desperately hoped he wouldn't live to regret.

The other reason was that he wanted the Riolu to be able to get some fresh air. He wanted Orkun to experience the town of Gardenia, rather than just be taken through it in a Pokeball.

"What do you think of this place?" Lucas asked his Pokemon. "Be honest, now".

 _I think it's wonderful,_ Orkun replied. _I see why your family wanted to live here. But let's head to the bank first._

Lucas was quite surprised by that. It was as though the Riolu was able to read his mind; _he'd_ been thinking that they were going to go to the bank first as well. They needed to withdraw some money; he knew that they'd need some resources in order to get through the first day.

"That's just what I was thinking" the boy replied. "Can you read minds?"

 _Er...maybe,_ Orkun said. Lucas decided that, from here on out, he was going to have to be very careful about what he thought whenever the Riolu was within his vicinity. He didn't need any embarrassing situations to take place where Orkun knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Anyway...we're here" he said, as they walked to the front of Bank of Sinnoh. "My mother showed me how to withdraw money from our account. We have $11,814 in there now. How much should I take out?"

 _Five hundred dollars,_ the Riolu replied.

 _Okay, this is getting creepy,_ Lucas thought. _Are we really that much in lock-step with each other? Is that even the right term to use?_

"I was just thinking the same amount" the boy replied, looking through the options at his disposal. After typing in the correct code and being told to select an amount to withdraw, he withdrew five hundred dollars from his account.

 _Nice,_ Orkun said. _Great minds think alike, don't they?_

"Yes" Lucas replied. "They sure do".

He didn't know what else there was to say, as he saw that the screen now told him that he had a balance of $11,314 in his account. Of course, he wasn't too interested in the exact amount anymore, not now that he had all of the money he thought he needed.

As they were walking out of the bank, Lucas looked at the nearby street signs. He knew downtown Gardenia like the back of his hand, since he'd lived here as long as he could remember. He was just making sure that he knew the way to Route 212, the way they were going to take to Hearthome City. That was what they had decided their first destination would be.

* * *

It didn't take too long to get out of Gardenia. Lucas led Orkun down the main street, past the church and the local elementary school, and past a certain woman's house.

"Down there? She's the speech-language pathologist I used to see, the woman who lives in that house".

The Riolu was clearly confused by such a big word. _What's a speech-language pathologist?_

"She helped me with my speech problems that I used to have when I was younger" Lucas told the Riolu. "They've been corrected now, but my voice still sounds a little weird, you know?"

Just then, a car zoomed by, and Lucas had to cover his ears. Much like his speech impediment, many of the sensory issues had been corrected over time. However, loud noises and bright lights still posed challenges for him. And the hot June morning was full of bright colors.

 _I suppose that you do seem a little different from other humans,_ Orkun replied as Lucas pressed the button at the crosswalk. _I mean...you do seem to talk a little differently._

"Yeah, that's probably why. I have something called autism" he explained to his Riolu.

 _Explain that to me sometime,_ the Riolu replied.

"I will" Lucas said.

It was about half a mile from downtown Gardenia to the edge of Route 212. Motor vehicles did not travel on the routes; these were reserved for cyclists and Pokemon trainers. There was a separate highway system that covered all of Sinnoh, which Lucas and his family would drive on when they were going to visit other cities, such as Hearthome, Pastoria, and Sunyshore.

 _Nice,_ Orkun said, _Route 212. I like this place._

When Lucas looked around, he couldn't help but agree. Route 212 was a dirt road roughly thirty feet wide, winding its way past forests, various community centers, and gardens of flowers. The June sun shone down on it, and it was a little dustier than Lucas would have liked. Still, it was a pretty awesome place to be.

"It's a long way to Hearthome City" Lucas told Orkun. "It's likely that we'll run into some other Pokemon along the way. And I'll try to catch one as well. My mother packed some Pokeballs in here as well".

 _She did?,_ the Riolu asked.

"Yeah" the boy replied. "Let's see...there are a lot of different types of Pokemon in Sinnoh. This area has a colder climate than that of Kanto or Johto, so...yeah. That being the case, most Pokemon here are more adaptable to chillier weather".

 _What are you, Pokepedia?_ Orkun queried.

"I suppose you could call me that, yes" Lucas said. "But I'm just very much into these things. It's part of my autism, you could say".

The Riolu was confused. There was that strange word again: _Autism._ What did it mean?

"I'll explain when we get to the Pokemon center" the young boy said before the Riolu could say anything. "For now, let's focus on catching any Pokemon that we find".

A mile into their walk, they found their first target. It was a small, fox-like Pokemon, with a series of orange tails on its back and large green eyes.

This confused Lucas. This type of Pokemon wasn't normally found in Sinnoh, was it? If not, what was it doing here? This made no sense, and the young boy was determined to get to the bottom of this.

He pulled out his PokeDex and listened to the description that the device gave.

" _Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon. At the time of its birth, Vulpix has one white tail. The tail separates into six if this Pokemon receives plenty of love from its trainer. The six tails become magnificently curled"._

"I'm going to try to catch her!" Lucas exclaimed. He could tell that it was going to be difficult; whenever this Vulpix was running around, she was certainly moving quickly. He could tell that it was a female, though; he knew this much.

The Vulpix started running away from him as soon as Lucas got close, and he knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Lucas wasn't the best at distance running, but he could do some sprints thanks to his very long legs, at least for his age. As long as this chase didn't last too long, he'd be able to do this.

With Orkun following his master as quickly as his little Riolu legs could carry him, Lucas threw his Pokeball in the direction of the Vulpix. It was fairly easy to catch her, much easier than he could ever have imagined.

She'd put up a fight, but Lucas had prevailed. It hadn't taken too long, either - he'd done it fairly easily.

A flash of red light appeared, sucking the Vulpix into the Pokeball Lucas had held out. This was a different one - his mother had packed him five other Pokeballs, in addition to the one that held Orkun. There were six Pokeballs in all; he'd been told that six was the maximum number of Pokemon a trainer could have at once.

 _What should I name her?,_ he thought to himself. Fortunately, it didn't take long for an idea to come to his head.

It sounded cool to him. "Vulpix, from here on out you are _Vinaka._ You got that?"

He knew that the newly christened Vinaka couldn't hear him say her new name, but he didn't care at the moment. Eventually, he'd let her out of her Pokeball, and then he'd explain to her everything that had happened.

 _Hopefully I can earn her trust,_ Lucas thought to himself.

 _Nice! You caught a Pokemon!,_ Orkun exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool" the young boy replied in return. He couldn't wait to sit down at a cafe or someplace like that and be able to introduce the two of them to each other.

Maybe he wouldn't be so lonely on this journey after all.

* * *

 **Fun fact: "Vinaka" means "thank you" in Fijian. The Vulpix is named after the merged tribe of _Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X._ I've been a fan of that show for a while, but the final four twist completely ruined everything. Well, not EVERYTHING, but you know what I mean.**

 **I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Riolu: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter (Level 7). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**


	8. An Encounter In A Coffee Shop

**Songs I listened to while writing this included Time to Be Awesome from the My Little Pony movie, Stand Up and Run by Billy Talent, Hair by Little Mix, and Jumper by Third Eye Blind. I recommend all four of those songs to be listened to, as they are wonderful.**

 **In any case, I passed my learner's permit test, meaning that I can now drive with an adult in the car with me. Truthfully, the thought of driving scares me to pieces, but I will get my license at some point. I'm determined to.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to everybody who has reviewed and is seeing this story through.**

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 201X - 10:30 AM**

 **ROUTE 212, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 89 DEGREES**

It wasn't too long before Lucas started sweating like crazy. The day was a lot hotter than he had thought it would be.

Even though it had even been slightly hotter the previous three days, things were different today, somehow. Perhaps it was because he was walking a longer distance today than he had been before, but he wasn't enjoying this walk too much.

 _Well,_ he thought, _I suppose that I'll find a cafe soon to cool down. Or something like that._

It was just as well. He was hot and tired, and, while he wasn't the most out-of-shape person in existence, he was no fan of trekking long distances. He was finding here that there was an immense amount of walking involved in becoming a Pokemon trainer, and he didn't really like that.

He tried to tell himself that the other parts of being a trainer were worth it. He'd just caught a new Pokemon, so things might be okay after all.

After he saw that Orkun was panting as well, he said, "Do you want to get into your Pokeball, Orkun? It's probably going to be a ways until we find a cafe or something like that".

The Riolu nodded. _That'd be lovely, sir. Is it okay if I call you sir?_

Lucas chuckled. "Yes, it's fine. Here you go".

The young boy recalled the Riolu back into his Pokeball. With a flash of light, Orkun had seemingly disappeared from existence in the middle of the hot summer day, but Lucas knew that he was really inside his Pokeball. After the boy checked to see that the sticker labelling which Pokemon was inside it was still attached to the outside of the Pokeball, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The sun was beating down, and Lucas wished he'd brought sunscreen with him. But that hadn't been something his mother had mentioned, and, typically, when asked to do a chore, or study for a test, Lucas would do the bare minimum, or close to it. He just had no patience for things like that, no matter what others would tell him to do.

He supposed it was no big deal - he could buy sunscreen wherever he was going. Since he was planning to head northwards in general, he was hopeful that the temperatures would gradually decrease.

Lucas slapped himself back to reality. He was living his dream! This was what he had always wanted, wasn't it? To be able to travel around Sinnoh, and eventually other regions as well, To meet new people and Pokemon along the way. That was what being a trainer was all about, wasn't it?

He thought about Orkun, and how he'd soon be introducing him to Vinaka. He didn't know how he had come up with the latter name; he supposed that it had just sounded cool. Either way, Vinaka the Vulpix was about to meet Orkun the Riolu, and, really, it was just so poetic how _Vinaka_ and _Vulpix_ began with the same letter.

Ah, but that was perhaps not too relevant at the moment.

Lucas walked for about another half hour, wishing he'd brought a water bottle. His mouth was beginning to become very parched, and, whenever he would try to talk (not that he had anybody to talk to at the moment, with both Orkun and Vinaka in their Pokeballs), he was practically slurring the words. He needed a drink, soon.

Eventually, he found a coffee shop along the edge of the road, a Staryubucks. _Yes! Salvation,_ he thought, licking his lips.

Lucas didn't drink coffee. Whenever he went to Staryubucks with his parents, or alone, he usually only got a pastry and maybe a non-caffeinated beverage. That was what he was going to do this time as well.

The dark, air-conditioned coffee shop was a welcome respite from the heat of the summer day. The young boy looked for the start of the line, and lined up behind a boy who looked to be a little older than him.

After waiting in line for a few minutes, he reached the front. After Lucas ordered a slice of iced lemon pound cake and a bottle of water, he received both and went to sit in a table near the edge of the cafe.

Many coffee shops, such as this one, allowed Pokemon to be out of their Pokeballs as long as they were trained well. Lucas wasn't going to force his Riolu and Vulpix to stay in their Pokeballs for any longer than he absolutely had to, so he recalled both Vinaka and Orkun.

 _Where am I?,_ Vinaka asked. Her voice sounded a great deal higher in pitch, as well as more feminine in general, than Orkun's did.

Lucas threw all caution to the wind in responding. "You're with your new trainer now, Vinaka. My name's Lucas Snow".

 _Nice,_ she said. _But where am I? You didn't really answer my question._

"We're in a coffee shop right now. Staryubucks".

For a time, the Vulpix looked at Lucas strangely. The boy realized that she'd probably never encountered a human who could speak to her so directly. It would take her some time to get used to, most likely.

Lucas didn't realize this at first, but he was sitting right next to the same person he'd been standing behind in line. Now that he had his pastry and was able to focus more closely on the other person, he was able to see more about this person.

He was older than Lucas, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years of age. He wore a black shirt and black pants, much like a ninja. He was very pale and also had black hair. The correct word to describe his appearance would have been _dark._

"Hey" Lucas said, trying to greet the other person, like he was always told to do.

"Hey" the other boy replied in between sips of a frappe. "What's going on?"

"Just started out on my journey today" our hero said. "These are my Pokemon. Do you have any?"

The older boy shook his head. "No, I don't. I do have this one Pokeball, though. It's for catching any that I come across. The name's Andromeda, by the way".

"Lucas" Lucas replied in between bites of his iced lemon pound cake. That was his favorite thing to get at Staryubucks; he could have eaten his way out of a room made entirely out of the stuff.

"Sweet" Andromeda said. "Can I see your Pokemon?"

"They're right here" Lucas said. "The Riolu is Orkun; the Vulpix is Vinaka. Orkun, Vinaka, this is Andromeda".

 _Hello,_ Orkun said.

 _Nice to meet you,_ Vinaka told Andromeda.

"Did you hear that?" Andromeda whispered into Lucas's ear, to which Lucas covered his ears. In doing so, he accidentally slapped the older boy.

"Ah, sorry about that" Lucas replied. "I just have sensitive ears is all. But it's cool, if you want to join up or whatever".

"Are you kidding me?" the other boy replied. "Why would I not want to join up with you, at least for a while? I'm still looking for Pokemon, and you've got plenty of Pokeballs, I can tell".

 _Wow. I already got him to join up with me, and I just mentioned it. This is going pretty well if I do say so myself._

"What do you have there?" Lucas asked him. "I don't really drink coffee".

"Why not?" Andromeda replied. "I find it very much necessary in order to maintain the necessary levels of energy to get through the day, you know? What's wrong with it?"

"It's just that I feel like I don't need it. One, I've heard that it stunts your growth, and I want to be pretty tall when I grow up".

"How tall are you?"

"I'm about five foot seven, and I'm thirteen years old, in case you were wondering. I just turned thirteen the other day, in fact".

"Cool" Andromeda replied. "I'm fifteen. Always nice to meet new people, you know?"

"Yeah, it is" Lucas said.

"Well, my favorite pastry to get here is the apple fritter" the older boy told the younger one. "It is just so, so good, you know? And I'm five foot ten; you're going to be taller than me when you get to my age".

"What makes you say that?" In spite of talking about a subject as possibly personal as height, Lucas genuinely felt like they were just two teenage boys hanging out on a hot day in Staryubucks. There was something that felt quite special about it.

"Because my doctor says that I'm almost done growing; I'll probably be about an inch taller than I am now, if that. But you've probably not hit your growth spurt yet".

"My father...is six feet two" Lucas said. At that, he started tearing up.

"Why are you so sad?" Andromeda replied. "It's not that bad, is it? You might be even taller than him when you're an adult".

"It's not that" the younger boy said. "I just left my parents yesterday, and...I'm really kind of missing them".

"Well, _I_ don't miss _my_ parents" the older boy said. "What can I say about them, really? They don't like the fact that I can talk to Pokemon".

Clearly, Andromeda wasn't a lot more cautious than Lucas was when speaking of his gift. Whether the gift was natural or supernatural in nature, the fact remained that it was quite a gift, all the same. Or was it a curse, if Andromeda's parents had shunned him for it?

All Lucas knew was that he wanted to know more.

"Sorry to hear that" he replied, coming back to Earth. "In any case...where were you travelling towards?"

"I'm from Sunyshore City originally" Andromeda replied. "Of course, since it's a pretty sunny city for a coastal one at its latitude, I didn't really feel at home there".

Lucas got the implication of that almost immediately. "You like dark places?" he replied, in the form of a question.

"Yep" the older boy responded. "That's just the way I've always been, you know?"

"But where did you say you were going?" Lucas asked. "That's what I asked you originally".

"Oh, sorry" Andromeda replied. "I'm heading for Hearthome City. I'm thinking of challenging Fantima, you know, and earning the Relic Badge".

The younger boy's eyes widened. "That was my idea as well!"

Andromeda held his hand up, and Lucas shook it, even though he was one who was constantly afraid of germs and getting sick. "Great minds think alike, doesn't it seem that way?"

"Sure does" Lucas replied. He looked down at the table, where he was greeted by a sight he found quite cute.

Lucas, not the neatest eater, had accidentally left some crumbs on the floor. They had fallen there, leaving Vinaka to eat them.

The young boy chuckled. It was always nice to see that his Pokemon were happy, because that had a great effect on him. He wanted anything that could gratify that he was a good trainer, because that was something he always wanted to strive for.

"Want to head out?" Andromeda asked. "I already paid, how about you?"

"I did as well" Lucas replied. "We can just go".

After throwing their drink cup and pastry bags away, the duo of Lucas and Andromeda departed from the pastry shop and continued walking along Route 212.

* * *

Thankfully, there were plenty of rest stops when somebody in the group needed a bathroom break. Lucas was grateful that neither of them had to relieve themselves in the bushes beside Route 212, because he did not feel like doing that in front of potentially dozens of people.

"So...Sunyshore City. I've been there before" Lucas told the older boy.

"Cool" Andromeda replied. "What did you think of it?"

"Well", he replied, "I really liked it. One place I really love is the beach. Playing in the waves is just my thing, you know?"

"I get it. I loved the waves, too, when I was your age. Indeed, I still do, although I don't go to the beach nearly as often anymore, ever since I ran away from home".

"You... _ran away?"_ Lucas asked Andromeda incredulously.

"Yeah, what did I tell you before?" Andromeda asked the younger boy, sounding slightly exasperated if anything. "I ran away, because my parents weren't huge fans of me. They didn't disown me or anything, but I decided, at one point, that enough was enough, you know?"

"Sorry to hear that" Lucas replied.

"It's cool" the older boy said. "Hopefully..". He didn't finish that sentence.

The sun had continued moving across the sky, and eventually, before either of them knew it, temperatures were starting to drop just a little. According to Lucas's watch, it was a little after five in the afternoon.

"How much further do you want to go?" Lucas asked Andromeda eventually. He was panting - he'd rarely ever exerted himself this much in his life.

"How about the next Pokemon center we get to?"

"Sounds like a deal".

As it turned out, "the next Pokemon center" wasn't as close by as either of them had thought initially. In fact, it was quite a ways away from their current location".

At about five-thirty, the first clouds started appearing. Neither teenager gave it that much thought, until it started raining.

"Why does it always have to rain here?" Andromeda asked.

"I don't know, but I should have brought an umbrella!"

The older boy looked at the younger one incredulously. "Something about your voice...it sounds a little...weird".

"It does?"

"Yeah. Are you sure you aren't coming down with something? You'd think that you wouldn't catch cold _this_ quickly in the rain".

At first, Lucas didn't know how to respond to that. But then he realized something, something that should have been fairly obvious at first.

Andromeda was probably talking about Lucas being autistic, even though he didn't explicitly say that. Whenever Lucas's voice was on a recording, it always sounded extremely deep and somehow childish. He was sure that a lot of people had that feeling, but it rang true for him.

For the longest time, Lucas had done speech therapy, in order to say certain letters and words that he'd had trouble with. Now that he was thirteen, those problems had pretty much all been corrected, but that didn't change the fact that his voice sounded pretty weird.

"I think I know what that might be" Lucas replied. "But I'll tell you in the morning what I think it is".

Andromeda nodded. The other boy could tell that he was very curious, and very much looking forward to finding out the younger boy's theory on why his voice was the way it was.

Eventually, the two boys reached a point on the route that was completely blocked by puddles. They had no choice but to walk straight through it, which was not comfortable at all.

"Man, it'll feel good to dry off" Andromeda said. Even though it had been hot earlier in the day, his teeth were now chattering as the two of them walked out on a pier.

This part of Route 212 overlooked a body of water. Whether it was a river or a lake, Lucas couldn't remember, but he did see a Pokemon center standing on one of the docks.

It was only once they were safely inside the Pokemon center and away from the deluge of rain that Lucas let Orkun and Vinaka out of their Pokeballs. Orkun looked rather happy to be out of there, but Vinaka looked peeved, for whatever reason. Lucas had recalled them into their Pokeballs at the first sign of rain, which was why they were still fairly dry now, whereas  
Andromeda and Lucas were both soaked to the skin.

After checking in to their room, Lucas walked over to the ATM to make sure that nothing had changed about the amount of money in his account. As it turned out, there was still the same amount there. Lucas read the number present, $11,314, over and over again, just to make sure it still said that.

Vinaka and Orkun were both placed in their Pokeballs. The room, while not exactly cramped, was pretty small, and it only had two beds.

The two of them went to dinner, where Andromeda asked Lucas where he had found his Pokemon.

"Well, Orkun I found on the sidewalk" he said. "He was injured, so I took him to my mother, who's a nurse". Lucas had to fight back tears after he said those words.

"Why are you crying?" Andromeda asked Lucas in between bites of his hamburger. "I thought that you were happy to be going on a journey".

The younger boy didn't want to talk about. He knew that, although both him and Andromeda cried when they talked about their parents, they did so for very different reasons.

Lucas cried because he missed his parents. Andromeda cried because he missed the _idea_ of his parents. Of course, it was clear to him that the older boy didn't really care about his parents, since they didn't care for him that much, but that was just the way it went.

But the other boy could talk to Pokemon as well...Lucas was wondering what that was all about. It sure seemed like he'd been able to hold conversations with Orkun and Vinaka, or at least communicate with them by speech. If he could talk to Pokemon...what were the implications?

 _I suppose we can think about this in the morning,_ Lucas thought to himself. _I'm pretty bushed, personally._

Right on cue, Lucas yawned. "You're pretty tired, aren't you?" Andromeda replied. "No surprise, is it? We walked a really long way today".

Lucas shook his head. "No, it's really not. As soon as I'm done", he said, motioning to his basket of chicken fingers and fries, "let's get ready for bed. It's been a long day".

"Indeed it has" the older boy replied. "I think I'll do the same. It is a bit earlier than I usually get to bed, though".

After both boys were finished eating, they took turns in the bathroom, taking showers and brushing their teeth. Lucas thought it felt great to be able to shower after such a hot, sweaty day.

Once Lucas and Andromeda were both done with their evening routine, they sat down on their beds, having both changed into their pajamas. At least, Lucas had changed into his pajamas. Andromeda only wore black briefs to bed.

"Why don't you wear pajamas?" the younger boy asked the older one.

"I could ask you, _Why DO you wear pajamas?_ " Andromeda replied smugly, although Lucas could tell that it was good-natured in character.

"I just like to" Lucas replied. "It's the way I've always done it. How about you?"

"It's kind of childish to wear pajamas to bed. I was sleeping only in underwear since I was four".

 _To each his own,_ Lucas thought. Saying it out loud, he said, "Well, I think it's time to hit the sack. I'll see you in the morning".

"See you" Andromeda replied.

In spite of his exhaustion, it took a while for Lucas to fall asleep. He couldn't get over the fact that he was starting this huge journey that he'd had planned out for years. He couldn't get over the fact that he'd already caught a new Pokemon, noting Vinaka's Pokeball in the corner.

He really would have to do that in the morning, he decided. But it could wait until morning.

That was the last thought Lucas would remember having, as he fell asleep slowly, and then all at once.

* * *

 **All right, that is that. I completed this chapter all in one day, so there is that. I probably could have spent some of the time I spent writing this studying for my science test tomorrow, but at least I enjoyed writing this. That's what is important.**

 **Also, I am putting Camp Eevee on hiatus for the moment. I just have no real desire to write it right now. I know that I may be disappointing some people, but I want to focus on the stories I am enjoying writing.**

 **See you guys next time!**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Riolu: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter (Level 7). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Nobody yet.**


	9. The Red Light Conquers All

**Yeah, I really got this out quickly. Of course, it's a rather short chapter, and I apologize for that. I was originally going to end it differently, but I decided that this ending was more interesting, so...yeah. That's the way it went.**

 **In other news, tomorrow is my grandmother's 84th birthday. I'm going to talk to her on the phone, most likely. She was one of the first ones I talked to after getting my learner's permit, so, in all probability, not much will have changed.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 201X - 5:55 AM**

 **ROUTE 212, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 93 DEGREES**

Lucas didn't have any dreams that night. He'd been somewhat scared to go to sleep, fearing that the exploding building might have come back, in which case he'd probably wake up covered in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, that was not the case. When he woke up, early morning sunlight was streaming through the blinds of the window of his room at the Pokemon center.

 _I should probably do it now,_ he thought to himself.

At first, Lucas couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. All he knew was that there was something very important that he'd neglected to do last night, and that it was thus necessary for him to do it that morning.

He got out of bed and walked over to his backpack. He'd packed a sheet of stickers, so that he could write the names of their Pokemon on them, so that he could keep track of which Pokeball held which Pokemon, so that he wouldn't get confused.

Taking out one of the stickers, he wrote _Vinaka_ on it, then stuck it to the outside of the Pokeball that was not already marked by the name _Orkun._

Man, yesterday had been quite an eventful day. In addition to his Riolu, he'd met a Vulpix, named her Vinaka, and met a new guy named Andromeda. The two of them had travelled down Route 212 to this Pokemon center.

Now that Lucas was better rested, he was able to analyze the theme of the Pokemon center more. It had been built like a mill, made out of wood on both the outside and the inside. It looked surprisingly sturdy, all things considered, and the boy decided that he liked it this way.

He walked over to the bathroom and decided that he might as well brush his teeth. If it woke Andromeda up, so be it. He didn't think it was necessary to sleep too late, considering that they had gone to bed relatively early the previous night.

By the time he was done brushing his teeth, he saw that the older boy had indeed woken up. "Did I wake you?" Lucas asked Andromeda.

"No, I woke up on my own" the other boy replied. "It just so happened that it was as I was brushing my teeth".

"I see" the younger boy said, scratching his chin. "Well, you brush your teeth, and then let's head to breakfast. I'd love to make some decent progress on the way to Hearthome City today. When do you think we'll arrive there?"

"I could see us getting there tomorrow afternoon or so" Andromeda replied. "But that's only if we hustle. If we catch some Pokemon along the way, so be it; indeed, I'd love to have a partner".

Lucas felt a little guilty at that. "Hey, if you want me to give you Orkun or Vinaka, that'd be fine with me".

Andromeda shook his head. "Oh, no no no. I'm not going to just take one of your Pokemon. You keep them. I'll catch one of my own, thank you very much".

"Well, okay" Lucas replied.

For a while, they just sat there, and then Andromeda went to brush his teeth. As soon as the sound of the electric toothbrush had gone away, Lucas stood up and grabbed his duffel bag. "Let's go" he said.

The two of them headed into the dining room, and both ordered the same thing, cereal with almond milk. As they were eating, Andromeda asked Lucas what it was that caused his speech to sound different.

Lucas hesitated. Sometimes, he could be a little self-conscious about this. It wasn't always easy for him to talk about it, but he felt that he should be honest with Andromeda about why his voice was a little weird.

"I have Asperger's" he finally told the older boy in between spoonfuls of almond milk.

"What's that?" Andromeda asked him.

Lucas was a little surprised by that. He was sure that the other boy would probably have known what autism was, but he supposed that it wasn't the case.

"It's a mild type of autism" he explained eventually. "I talk a _lot_ about my own interests. Sorry if that annoys you".

"It's cool" Andromeda replied. "I often talk about my own interests a lot as well".

"And what are those?"

"I'm kind of interested in train schedules" he admitted. "Like, I could tell you when the next train to Hearthome City from Pastoria is".

"I'd rather not know" Lucas said.

"Okay" Andromeda sighed.

For a while, the two of them just sat there, slurping their cereal like a pair of barbarians. When they were done, they returned their plates and each grabbed their duffel bags from their rooms.

It was time to hit the road again.

* * *

The rain had mercifully stopped by this point. Some puddles remained on the docks, as well as the road, but, for the most part, the day was turning out to be just as hot as the previous one had been, if not more so.

"I wish we could get a break from this heat" Andromeda said, fanning himself with his right hand. "I've been travelling for two months, and, let me tell you, it's been quite hot on the road since I departed from Sunyshore City".

Lucas looked at the older boy and saw that he was clearly suffering. He felt bad for Andromeda, after what he had told Lucas last night. Apparently things hadn't been that great for him at home, which was why he had decided to run away.

It was rather sad, really. Lucas wished that he could have hugged the older boy and told him that everything was going to be all right.

Of course, however, very little could be further from the truth. There was no telling what dangers they might run into on the rest of Route 212.

As soon as they arrived at a Pokemart, the two boys walked inside and bought four bottles of water; one each for Lucas, Andromeda, Orkun, and Vinaka. After that, they also decided to buy some Pokeballs.

"Are you trying to raise an army, sir?" the man behind the store's counter asked Andromeda as they paid for the Pokeballs. "That is a _lot_ of Pokeballs".

The older boy couldn't help but laugh. "No, sir. No army, just a large team". He wanted to be relatively vague about his plans, just because he didn't want everyone to know everything about them.

"Nice. That'll be $95.56".

After Andromeda paid for the Pokeballs, they left the store and continued down Route 212.

The day heated up fast, and Lucas was getting quite hot. With the sunscreen they had just bought, he lathered his arms, rolling up his sleeves so that more of his arms were no longer being smothered by the fabric.

Eventually, they made the decision to let their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs. Orkun and Vinaka, not having legs as long as those of the two boys, lagged slightly behind, but still close enough that they could see their trainer.

The hours went on by, and, before long, they had passed the area where they were above water. Now that they were on land, they no longer had to make sure to stay on the path; they could go off of it occasionally, but they always made sure to have the dirt road of Route 212 in sight.

"What is autism like?" Andromeda eventually asked Lucas. "I've heard of it before, but I don't know too much about it. It's kind of interesting; I'm just not that well-informed on anything related to this".

It was hard for Lucas to explain. For him, autism was all he had ever known; he'd always been this way.

"Well, it can be quite tiring" he said after a while. "As long as I can remember, I've been seeing various therapists for different reasons. Anxiety is one of them; I've always had a higher level of anxiety than most people my age".

"That's rough" Andromeda replied. "I hope that you're able to manage it well".

"I am, thank you very much. I also had speech therapy, since I always had a hard time pronouncing specific sounds. I had a particularly hard time with the R sound. Indeed, my Rs may still sound a little off".

"I understand" the other boy said. "I've heard that people with autism can be very picky about certain things. Like, only eating french fries, or apples, or crackers, or something like that".

"I'm told", responded Lucas, "that it was that way for me when I was younger. But most of those issues have been corrected by now, thankfully. Like my speech problems".

"That's good".

For a while, they continued to walk while making small talk about various things. The sun beat down, and their bottles of water were depleted quickly. Had he been able to, Lucas had no doubt that he would have kept guzzling water as though he were a camel.

Suddenly, a shape appeared right in front of them. Using instincts he had honed when he'd caught Vinaka the previous day, he pulled out his PokeDex and used it to scan the unknown species.

" _Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokemon. It undertakes photosynthesis with its body, making oxygen. The leaf on its head wilts if it is thirsty. Number 387"._

 _Well, that's cute,_ Lucas thought to himself.

"You do the honors, Andromeda" he told the other boy.

Andromeda pulled out one of his Pokeballs and threw it on the ground. However, it didn't really work, because the Turtwig ran away quickly, wobbling awkwardly on its short little legs.

"It's going to be tough to catch him" Lucas said. "Have you never caught a Pokemon before?"

"No. Can't you do it?"

"Unfortunately, no" the younger boy replied. "You see, Pokemon are bound to the person who catches it. If you want your own Pokemon, you're going to have to catch him yourself".

Andromeda saw no reason to argue with Lucas there; after all, he did want his own Pokemon. He wanted it quite badly, so he ran as quickly as he could after the Turtwig.

After another throw, there was a flash of red light, which was how both boys knew Andromeda had done it correctly. The Turtwig was no match for the red light. The red light conquers all.

"What will you name him, Andromeda?" Lucas asked the older boy.

"I'll call him...Tai. That name sounds pretty good".

Lucas thought about it. The name really did sound quite good. Of course, it wasn't his Turtwig to name.

The Pokeball that was in Andromeda's hand shook slightly, but did not fall out of his hand. This made Lucas wonder something: Did Tai not like it in there?

He didn't understand; usually, Pokeballs contained an environment that would be favorable for a Pokemon contained within it. However, if this was not the case for the Turtwig...he didn't know what to think about that.

They kept walking, and eventually Lucas started to feel very tired. He thought of mentioning it to Andromeda, but he didn't want to make himself look weak in front of the older boy.

In a way, it went back to when Lucas had grown up with Jason. His elder brother was very physically fit, and Lucas was...not very physically fit. He'd always been embarrassed by this, and, when he had started out on his journey, he had made an oath to himself, that he would _never_ complain about being tired, no matter what.

Had he already broken that promise, though?

Lucas didn't think he'd been complaining earlier, when he'd said that he was tired the previous night. Of course, it was possible to look at things the other way, but it wasn't the view Lucas took of it.

At first, he was able to wave it off. All it was was that he had been walking for a very long time, and it was now the middle of the afternoon, as evidenced by the direction the sun was in. It had to be at least three or so.

However, it got so that he could no longer ignore it. He was starting to feel, not only tired, but nauseous as well.

"Are you okay, Lucas?" Andromeda asked him eventually. "You look really tired".

Orkun looked at his master worriedly. _Are you okay, Lucas?,_ the Riolu echoed.

Lucas turned to his Pokemon, as well as his human travelling companion. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired is all".

 _Damn it, Lucas. You just broke your promise and complained about being tired! Why did you have to ruin your 30-hour streak?_

"So am I" Andromeda replied. "I'll say this...we're going pretty fast. I think that we're on track to get there tomorrow afternoon if we keep up this pace tomorrow, but stop in a few minutes. There's a Pokemon center not too far away from here".

"How did you know that?" the younger boy asked. "I can't see any Pokemon centers".

It was then that Andromeda looked even more scared. "It's right in front of us, Lucas. You can't see it?"

 _Was he going blind?_ No, that made no sense. Or did it? Either way, his vision was starting to blur, and he started to feel dizzy.

"I can't" Lucas admitted. "I really can't".

He took a few steps forward. He was starting to feel slightly jittery. Even though it was a bright June day, he couldn't see the Pokemon center in front of him. What was wrong with him?

Those were his last words before he slumped forward…

...and lost consciousness.

* * *

 **I hope I described fainting accurately; I've never done it. The closest I came was when I ran three miles in 90 degree heat for summer camp; the counselor offered to pour water on me, which I declined, saying that I looked dazed. But that happened a year and a half ago, and I'm fine now.**

 **In the next chapter, you'll find out what happened to Lucas after he passed out. I hope you look forward to it.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Riolu: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter (Level 7). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 6).**


	10. The Road to Hearthome City

**Happy Valentine's Day! For breakfast this morning, my mother made me heart-shaped French toast, which was quite something.**

 **Anyway, this is the tenth chapter; we're now into the double digits. I am also pleased to announce that this story has acquired 20 followers, quite a good milestone if I do say so myself. I don't know how many chapters this story will have, perhaps 30 or 35, but we will see.**

 **In any case, enjoy!**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 201X - 3:46 PM**

 **ROUTE 212, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 93 DEGREES**

The next thing he knew, Lucas was lying on the dirt road, aching like crazy. He didn't know exactly what had happened; all he knew was that he felt more tired than he had ever been.

"Lucas! You okay there?" he heard a voice exclaim, but he was too weak to open his eyes to find out who it was.

He felt himself get slapped lightly in the face, clearly by someone who was trying to revive him, but he didn't know how he was going to be able to get himself to wake up more. It wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm...fine" he croaked. His throat felt extremely parched, and he had to wonder just how long he'd been out for. "What happened?"

"We were walking towards the Pokemon center, and you just passed out. I don't know why it was...perhaps the heat? Or was it something else?"

"I don't know" Lucas replied weakly. "Do you have any water left? I'm pretty thirsty".

"No" Andromeda replied. "I have a water bottle, but it's bone dry at this point. Sorry about that...you must be really thirsty".

"It's fine" Lucas said. "Can you help me stand up? We're right next to a Pokemon center, aren't we?"

Andromeda nodded. "I let Orkun, Vinaka, and Tai out of their Pokeballs, just so they could know what was happening. Are you okay with that?"

The younger boy had no complaint with that. "That is just fine with me. I'm glad that they can know that I'm okay".

The older boy looked at Lucas suspiciously. "But _are_ you okay? I mean, you just fainted right in front of me. Generally, if someone passes out, that means that they're not okay. Of course, I could be wrong, in which case...I don't know what we do. Take you to the hospital?"

"No point" the younger boy stated forcefully. "I'm not going to go to the hospital. I just want to get some water, and some rest".

"You will go to bed earlier tonight, you hear me?" Andromeda queried Lucas. "And you're not going to get up before I do. You're going to get as much sleep as you need, and I want you to drink enough water to sink a ship. You got that?"

Lucas chuckled. "I don't know about _that_ much, but I will drink a lot of water".

"Very well, then" Andromeda replied. "Let me help you up, if that is fine".

The dark-haired boy offered Lucas his right hand, which the fairer-haired boy grabbed onto. He sat up first, and then stood up in stages.

Once he was back on his feet, the younger boy chuckled once again. "I suppose that I pushed myself a little too hard today, didn't I?

 _You sure did, master,_ Orkun said. _Seeing you unconscious on the ground like that...well, it wasn't pleasant for me._

Rubbing his neck, Lucas said, "Well, there's a Pokemon center right there. We might as well go inside and get a room".

"That sounds like a lovely idea" Andromeda replied.

The two boys walked into the Pokemon center and went to the lady to check in. Evidently, she hadn't seen Lucas pass out in front of the place, because she didn't appear to bat an eye when she saw the young boy standing in front of her.

"Oh, yeah" Andromeda said. "You put stickers on your Pokeballs, so that you can remember which one is which Pokemon, right?"

Lucas nodded. "I do that, for that reason".

"I should do it as well" the older boy replied. "Can you hand me the sticker sheet".

Lucas's hands were shaking, but he was able to reach inside his backpack for the sheet of stickers, which he handed to Andromeda. Andromeda wrote the name _Tai_ on the sticker, and then placed it on the Turtwig's Pokeball.

After their room had been readied for them, the two boys entered it and looked around. Just like the last Pokemon center they had stayed at, it was nothing too impressive, but, in Lucas's opinion, the best part was that it had air conditioning.

"We should probably get some water from the cafeteria" Andromeda told the younger boy. "Just because you passed out. You're probably a bit dehydrated".

Lucas nodded. He wasn't going to admit it to the older boy, but his head was starting to hurt. From his own experience, having a headache was a classic sign that he wasn't drinking enough water, so he vowed to drink more in the future, especially if the weather kept being as hot as it was.

"Can you come with me?" Andromeda asked him. "Or do you want me to just get it for you?"

Lucas nodded again. "I'll come with you".

He tried to stand up, but, almost immediately, his knees buckled again. He didn't pass out this time, but he made sure that he fell backwards onto his bed, rather than face-first onto the floor. _That_ would not have been good.

"On second thought", he said, "just get it for me. I think I'm too weak to go with you".

Even as Andromeda nodded, Lucas could tell that the older boy looked worried. And that caused Lucas to worry more; if Andromeda seemed to think so, there was a distinct possibility that something was very wrong with him.

He shrugged it off. He'd been dehydrated, and he was going to rectify that as soon as the older boy came back with some water. It was going to be fine.

After five minutes, Andromeda came back, holding two bottles of water. "I'm really glad these are free. How much money did you have in your ATM account again?"

"I believe it was $11,314" Lucas replied. "How about you?"

"I have almost exactly twice that" Andromeda told the younger boy. "I believe that the balance is $22,617 in total. Do you want to merge the accounts or something?"

Lucas was a little wary of that idea. Even though he was only thirteen years old, he'd heard of couples who had had nasty divorces, and they'd had one savings account and had to divide up everything.

What if the same thing happened between him and Andromeda? What if they, for lack of a better word, "broke up", and couldn't agree on a way to split the money? Or what if they left each other all of a sudden, and didn't have time to make an agreement?

"No" Lucas replied. "I don't want to merge the accounts, if that is okay with you. I just want to relax, if that's fine".

"Of course" Andromeda said. "You really should drink some water now". He handed Lucas one of the water bottles.

The younger boy tried to remember all that he'd learned about wilderness survival, which wasn't much; he wasn't the most outdoorsy type. He was pretty sure that, the more slowly you drank water, the more quickly your body would absorb it. As a result, he tried to be fairly careful, not gulping down the delicious liquid goodness.

"Are you feeling better now?" the older boy asked him.

"Yep" Lucas said. "Thanks". He couldn't get over the fact that Andromeda seemed to care about him a great deal. That was something that warmed his heart quite a lot.

Later, as they were sharing a pepperoni pizza in the cafeteria, Lucas asked, "How did you come up with the name Tai, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I just thought it was pretty cool. Plus, it's cute, and I really do think Turtwig are cute. How about Orkun and Vinaka?"

"For Orkun", Lucas said, "I remembered a word in a different language for "thank you". Apparently, it was pronounced _ARR-KOON,_ not _OAR-KOON._ That was something that took a bit of getting used to, but I managed to get it down".

"Was that with the help of speech therapy?" Andromeda asked his travelling companion.

"Not really. I guess, kind of. I don't really know. All I know is, it was a hard name to pronounce at first. But I got the hang of it, and that's important. I'm not pronouncing his name wrong".

Of course, Lucas supposed that, since he'd been the one to name Orkun, he could pronounce said name however he wanted. However, the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that he should just call him by the same pronunciation as the word was in that other language.

"And Vinaka?" Andromeda asked.

"That was a different story" Lucas replied. "I just thought it sounded cool, and, what was more, she was a Vulpix. They both started with the same letter, so the Vulpix is Vinaka. It's as simple as that".

"I see" the older boy replied.

"I can't wait to go out again tomorrow" the younger boy said. "We're going to make it to Hearthome City tomorrow, I should think. I'm looking forward to our first gym battle".

"So am I" the older boy said. "I think that we can take down Fantina fairly easily. What do you think?"

Lucas didn't want to be so confident. Indeed, in most parts of his life, he was a bit of a pessimist. He justified this pessimism by telling himself that he was being realistic. Besides, if things ended up going as poorly as he thought they would, he wouldn't be disappointed. It might not have been the best way to live one's life, but that was the way Lucas lived his.

After that, they mostly ate in silence. The pizza the Pokemon center made really was good. The crust was nice and thick, exactly the way Lucas liked it. He really liked doughy foods in general, which explained why he liked the thick crust on pizza.

Once they were done eating, they got ready for bed. Lucas didn't know what was awaiting him the next day, but he was quite excited all the same.

Battling had always been his dream. As he sank into a dream, he knew that soon, perhaps tomorrow or the next day, he was going to get to take on a gym leader for the first time. It was going to be glorious.

* * *

The next morning, the two boys got back on the trail. They didn't have too much distance left before they got to Hearthome City, which was a very good thing.

Lucas would never have told this to Andromeda, but he felt, in a way, like he hadn't fully recovered from the events of the previous day. His legs were still aching, as was his head. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep.

But, like he had yesterday, he decided to put on a straight face and not tell Andromeda about the way he was feeling. Everything was going to be all right if they just kept going onward; that was what he kept telling himself.

"It's going to be awesome to get to Hearthome City" Lucas said eventually. He knew that he was being fairly redundant by saying this, but he couldn't help his excitement. He was going to live his dream as a trainer.

"Yep" Andromeda replied. "At least for now, all of the boring stuff will be over tonight. That's the hard part of being a trainer - all of the walking. But there is good news on that front".

"What is that?"

"The obesity rate among trainers is only about seven percent, which is attributed to the fact that they do so much walking".

Lucas nodded. He had figured that. Certainly, by walking all of these miles, he was going to get in better shape than he had been before. He hadn't necessarily been a couch potato, but he hadn't gotten as much exercise as he probably should have been getting.

Now, he was walking many miles a day. There was a big difference between his previous life and this one.

They decided to let the Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, and soon Orkun, Tai, and Vinaka were walking right next to them. It didn't look as though any of them were too bothered by the heat, besides Orkun, who was panting.

Lucas turned to Orkun. "Do you wish to go back into your Pokeball? Because I can do that, you know".

The Riolu nodded. _It's really hot out here, and you know that I evolve into a Steel type. Steel types are allergic to heat, remember?_

 _How could I not?,_ the boy thought to himself. He recalled Orkun back into his Pokeball and continued walking, wishing very much that he could have done the same thing to himself.

It was another very hot day, perhaps ninety-five degrees, or thirty-five for those of you who use Celsius, and Lucas found himself guzzling water from one of the bottles they'd taken from the Pokemon center, as though he were a Numel. They hadn't _stolen_ them, they had been _given_ them. There was a big difference.

 _I'm fine,_ he kept telling himself. But what if he wasn't?

 _What are we doing in Hearthome City?_ Tai asked, clearly having overheard a conversation between Lucas and Andromeda, and desiring answers.

"We're going to battle the gym leader there" Andromeda told the Turtwig. "It'll be fun, but we have to get there first.

 _When will we get there?_ Tai said impatiently.

Lucas looked at his watch. "Andromeda, you said around three? Your map skills must be better than mine".

"Did you say _map_ skills or _math_ skills?" Andromeda replied.

"Both, I guess" Lucas replied, shrugging. "I suppose it doesn't matter. But you said that it'll be about three this afternoon?"

"Yep, if we walk at roughly four miles an hour. And assuming nothing unexpected happens".

Lucas barely had time to ask what would qualify as _unexpected_ when there was a small blue blur in front of them.

"Was that another Riolu?" Lucas asked quickly, wanting to see what type of Pokemon it was.

"No...let's see" Andromeda said, pulling out his PokeDex.

" _Shinx, the Flash Pokemon. All of its fur dazzles if danger is sensed. It flees while the foe is momentarily blinded. Number 403"._

"Sweet" the older boy said. "It's a Shinx! A male one!"

"Quick, catch it!"

This was easier said than done. The Shinx was extremely fast and light on its feet, not surprising for a creature of its size. Andromeda started sprinting towards it, soon throwing his Pokeball at it.

"Dang it!" Lucas exclaimed, as Andromeda ran to pick up his Pokeball. By this point, Shinx was getting so far away that he was barely even visible.

Lucas had the urge to start singing that song by A Flock of Wingulls song about running so far away, but he was able to stop himself from doing so. Instead, he and Andromeda began sprinting in the direction of the Shinx, a difficult task in the summer heat.

It might have been just him, but Lucas thought that he was no longer sweating quite as much. Had he not been so focused on the thrill of the chase, he might have been a lot more aware of that. As it was, however, all of his attention was centered on the Shinx.

Eventually, it seemed as though they were starting to gain ground. It was easy to see the Shinx, since it stood in very stark contrast to the dirt road that was Route 212. Andromeda whipped out his Pokeball again and threw it on the ground.

Before long, there was a flash of red light, and the Shinx, though it continued to try and struggle to get out, was sucked into the Pokeball.

"Nice" Lucas replied weakly. He didn't know what else he could have said.

Andromeda looked at the younger boy worriedly. "Are you sure you're all right, Lucas? You should probably be drinking more water".

"Nah, I'm good, I'm good" he replied. Little did Lucas know how much he would come to regret that statement.

* * *

The hours kept on passing by. At one point, at Andromeda's insistence, they had stopped for lunch at a Staryubuck's, and they had each eaten one of those vegetable sandwiches that they packed in small containers. They also each drank a bottle of water, although Andromeda was concerned at just how quickly Lucas guzzled down his.

"Are you _sure_ you're all right?" he asked the younger boy.

Lucas nodded, looking at the Shinx that had just been caught by Andromeda. He'd named him Soko for whatever reason; it was anyone's guess as to what that meant, but it had sounded cool to Andromeda, and that was really enough for Lucas.

"I'm fine" he insisted.

The two of them walked out of the coffee shop, and that was when Lucas started noticing, once again, that he wasn't sweating as much as usual. And he had a thought that would later embarrass him.

 _Nice! I'm not sweating anymore; this is great!_

Had Lucas been a little more aware of things, he would have known that this was a sign that he was moving towards a case of heat exhaustion. That would explain why he had passed out yesterday. But the young boy wasn't concerned about that at the moment.

Orkun, Soko, Tai, and Vinaka were all walking next to their trainers, standing six abreast in total. As a result, they took up much of Route 212.

 _Route 212...how fitting,_ Lucas thought to himself. _It's boiling here, and 212 is the temperature at which water starts to boil. Nice._

The next step stopped the younger boy right in his tracks. A wave of dizziness ran over him, and he stuck out his arms, much like a first-time ice skater trying to maintain his balance on the ice.

" _Whoa,_ dude" Andromeda exclaimed. "You are not okay".

Lucas shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you? I am just fine".

It was now Andromeda's turn to shake his head. "And how many times do I have to tell you that we need to stop?"

Somehow, in the argument that followed, Lucas was able to persuade Andromeda that he was fine. In months to come, he wouldn't know exactly how he had done it, only that, by some crazy miracle, he had.

Two hours later, they finally reached an area from which they could see a large city in front of them.

"Is that Hearthome City?" Andromeda asked Lucas.

Lucas nodded. His throat was, by this point, too parched for him to try to talk. He didn't even want to attempt it, for fear that he would throw up, for he was starting to feel nauseous as well.

He kept stumbling along the route, but Andromeda could clearly tell that his travelling companion was not in good shape. "Lucas? You all right?"

The younger boy was going to be quick to respond that yes, he was all right, and he was sick of constantly being asked if he was.

However, he never got the chance.

* * *

 **Ah. Cliffhanger!**

 **That's all I can really say for this one. I don't want to give away what happened until the next chapter. It'll be a surprise. But I am thinking that I may upload every third evening, since I really am cranking these chapters out like lightning.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Riolu: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter (Level 7). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 6). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge (Level 10).**


	11. Evolution

**Yay! Longest chapter yet! And I was able to wait until now to post it, which was pretty impressive for me, because I'm normally a very quick writer. I mean, I spend three to five hours a day doing this, so...yeah. We also have a new cover for this story, which is not a picture I own; it was just something I found cool, and, as always, should the original owner of the picture claim it and tell me they're not okay with it, I will take it down.**

 **In other news, you should check out That One Riolu Kid's new story, Eye of the Storm. It's pretty good.**

 **Let's get this thing going!**

* * *

The two of them had just been walking along Route 212 when Andromeda asked, "Lucas? You all right?"

The younger boy didn't respond. He was feeling quite dizzy, far too dizzy to be able to offer a coherent response. All he knew was that he had never been more hot and tired in his life.

Lucas tried to nod, but he was far too weak. Once again, he stuck out both arms in an attempt to right himself - or, at this point, to break his fall as he collapsed.

His eyes closed, and, like a marionette whose strings had been cut, he toppled over forwards, and would have hit the ground with a thud had Andromeda not been very quick to catch him, before his head had splattered against Route 212.

 _No! Master!,_ Orkun exclaimed, running towards the fainted trainer. He didn't seem to care that Lucas couldn't hear him, or perhaps he didn't realize it.

"Give him some space" Andromeda said. To himself, he thought, _I KNEW that this was a big mistake. And yet I still did it. I still let us keep walking like that!_

Of course, the older boy had to tell himself that it hadn't been entirely his fault. Had the unconscious boy before him not pushed himself so obscenely far, he wouldn't be unconscious right now.

Vinaka looked alarmed as well. The Vulpix's tails were all standing on end, as though they had just been drenched. _He just passed out!,_ she exclaimed. Clearly, she was worried about her trainer as well.

"It'll be fine" Andromeda said out loud, more to convince himself than any of the Pokemon. Tai and Soko also looked quite worried, and they ran over as quickly as they could to try and nudge Lucas back to consciousness.

Just then, it appeared that Lucas appeared to be waking up. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned.

"It's _fine,_ Lucas. I'm getting you help right now".

They were right on the edge of Hearthome City, so getting medical help would not take too long. Since the routes could not be driven on by cars, there were other roads instead, and it just so happened that Lucas had passed out at an intersection.

"How long…" the younger boy began asking.

"Just a minute, that's all. It was just a minute. You will be okay".

Using the PokeGear that he had brought with him, Andromeda dialled the number for emergency services. Once he was able to get somebody on the other end, he was asked, "Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?"

"Yeah, we've got someone here with heat exhaustion, who is going in and out of consciousness. We're at the intersection of Enfield Street with Route 212. Please come here as soon as you can!"

As soon as the person on the other end of the line assured him that they'd be there within ten minutes, Andromeda noticed that Lucas appeared to be unconscious again. This time, he wasn't waking up.

Acting quickly, the older boy took off the younger boy's shirt. They had only known each other for two days at this point, but Andromeda didn't have any problem seeing Lucas's chest. Besides, the other boy was unconscious - he wouldn't ever have to know about this.

By the time the ambulance was within view, Andromeda flagged it down. Eventually, the paramedics came out and put Lucas on a stretcher. As the older boy turned around, he saw that Orkun was still crying.

* * *

 **FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 201X - 7:01 PM**

 **HEARTHOME CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 95 DEGREES**

A soft breeze drifted through the window of the hospital room. Outside the window, the sun was sinking below the distant mountains, turning that entire part of the sky orange and gold. The sun still shone through the blinds, making a rectangle of light on the tiled floor.

On a bed, a teenage boy lay asleep. He'd woken up briefly in the ambulance, but had gone back to sleep. A cold compress was on top of his head, and he'd been dressed in a pale blue hospital gown.

In his left arm, an IV had been inserted. On his left hand, there was a pulse oximeter, recording his heart rate and checking to see that he was getting enough oxygen.

"Lucas?" a male voice said.

The boy opened his steel blue eyes. He found that he was lying in a hospital bed. He tried to move his arm, but then noticed that there was an IV in it, so he decided that it'd be best if he didn't.

Lucas groaned. Every part of his body ached as though he had run a marathon. There wasn't a single part of him that wasn't aching. He could barely open his mouth to speak…

 _Mouth._ It felt like absolute sand. He'd been eating sand, and drinking no water for the last few years. Yes, that was it. That was why he felt this way.

"Good, you're awake" Andromeda said. The dark-haired boy looked extremely relieved. "You cannot imagine how worried I was about you".

Lucas sighed. "Sorry" he croaked.

"Oh" the older boy replied. "You must be, like, extremely thirsty. Sorry about that. Let me get you some water".

The younger boy sat back in bed as Andromeda walked over to the bubbler and filled a cup for him. When Lucas took the glass, he was so weak that he nearly dropped it, but Andromeda helped him sit up in order to keep drinking it, so that a minimal amount got on the bed's sheets.

Drinking the water felt heavenly; the intravenous fluid might have rehydrated his body, but it had not rehydrated his vocal cords. He felt like he might actually be able to talk now.

"Anyway...what is it that I wanted to say?" Andromeda asked, but not to Lucas in particular; it sounded more like he was saying it to the room at large. "Oh, yes. You are probably wondering where you are right now, and what happened".

Lucas nodded. "I'd like to know how long I've been out, for one. I don't remember much since eating lunch today. I do remember your new Pokemon - a Shinx, right?"

"Yeah" the older boy replied. "I have all four Pokeballs with me. I'll release them right now".

The first one released was Soko. The Shinx immediately ran over to Lucas's IV stand, looking extremely worried to see his trainer's friend in that hospital bed. At the same time, it looked glad that the other boy was conscious again.

"You had a mild heat stroke, Lucas" a voice said, but it wasn't Andromeda's. Instead, it was someone else.

Lucas looked beyond Andromeda to find that a burly man wearing a white lab coat was standing behind him. "Pokemon are allowed to visit, and this young man is going to spend the night here with you. That said, I expect them to be in their Pokeballs during the night".

"No problem" the older boy told the doctor. "Anyway, please keep explaining".

"Well, Lucas, your friend here got the ambulance to come. It's because of him that you got here so soon - otherwise, nothing good could have happened. The way things are going, it looks like you can leave in the morning".

The younger boy perked up a little at that, but then sank back under the covers. He was just feeling so weak, and he soon noticed that he was covered in sweat. There was so much of it that he probably looked as though he had just been pulled out of a swimming pool. That made him feel quite uncomfortable in bed.

"Sorry that you can't be drier" the doctor said. "Just know that your body has completely flushed your sweat system. This is a good thing, because it means that your body has been cooling itself down".

"Can you take this out?" Lucas asked, gesturing to the IV in his left arm.

"Sure" the doctor replied. "It won't hurt too much; it was pretty easy to put in, since you were unconscious at the time". The doctor chuckled a little after saying the end of that sentence.

The doctor took out the IV, and Lucas thanked him for that. "I will say a few things. This IV replaced most of the fluids that you lost, but you're still at levels that would not be considered optimal. As a result, you should make sure to take in a lot of fluids orally, or else I might have to put it back in".

The younger boy nodded, and the doctor left the room, so that Lucas could be alone with Andromeda again.

"What can I say…" the older boy began. "For one, know your limits, Lucas. Things could have gone pretty badly today if they had not been right there to help".

Vinaka looked at her master longingly. _He's right, you know,_ she said. _You almost killed yourself today by pushing yourself too hard. You need to be more careful in the future._

The Vulpix was clearly hoping that the human was listening, because, if he wasn't, he could end up getting himself in serious danger. There wasn't a single person in this room who wanted that, was there?

"How long was I out?" Lucas asked Andromeda eventually. The doctor had offered to bring him some food, but he wasn't hungry, only thirsty. He'd been told to drink plenty of water to make sure that it didn't happen again, especially since he'd be more susceptible to another heat stroke after this one.

"A couple of hours" Andromeda replied. "But it's okay. Tomorrow, we're going to get out of here, and we're going to take on Fantina for the Relic Badge. At least, we're going to try".

That created a small seed of doubt in Lucas's stomach, the way the older boy had said it. If he wasn't confident that they could win...no, Lucas couldn't think that way.

That was the greatest character flaw within our hero. He was a pessimist in general, who never thought that things were going to go his way. Moreover, he often felt as though he didn't _deserve_ to have things go his way. When you were about to battle a gym leader such as Fantina, it helped to have a positive attitude.

But...priorities. First, he had to recover from his heat illness before anything else happened.

Orkun climbed onto the bed next to Lucas. _Is there anything I can do to help, Master?,_ he asked.

"No, there isn't, Orkun. Except help us kick Fantina's ass when we do face her, okay?"

All six creatures present in the room - Lucas, Andromeda, Orkun, Vinaka, Tai, and Soko - laughed at that. It felt good to have a nice, hearty laugh after the terrifying few moments that they had had today.

After that, the doctor entered the room once again and said that Lucas needed to sleep in order to recover. He said that Andromeda could stay in the room, but the Pokemon had to stay in their Pokeballs during the night. Lucas would be discharged at ten o'clock the next morning.

"Thanks, Andromeda" the younger boy told the older one. "You saved my life".

Andromeda looked back at Lucas. "It's no problem, dude".

* * *

Lucas was glad that, in order to pay the hospital bill, they did not have to dip into either of their bank accounts. Since he'd only been there for one night and not undergone any procedures other than the IV insertion, it was a very low bill.

"That'll be $226.55" the woman at the front desk told Andromeda, and he paid it quickly. After that, they walked out the door. It was as simple as that.

The two boys walked a little ways away from the hospital, and it struck Lucas that he didn't know what happened next. He really didn't.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked Andromeda. They'd let their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs once again, and Vinaka in particular appeared to be very relieved that her trainer was back on his feet.

"I'm thinking that we find a hotel to stay in for the night, before we challenge Fantina in the morning. Or maybe wait a day or so".

Even though he was still quite exhausted from the previous day, Lucas couldn't help but feel quite excited. He'd been on the road for only three days, and yet they were at the city of their first gym battle. Things were going to be quite amazing if this trend continued.

"Sounds like a plan, man" Lucas replied, stopping briefly to catch his breath. The previous few days had taken their toll on him, but he knew now that he had to speak up whenever he was feeling hot or tired. Today was just as hot as the previous day had been.

They arrived at what looked to be a very fancy place. It wasn't a Pokemon center - it was a bona fide _hotel._ Which would probably be a lot more expensive than the hospital had been.

"If you show your trainer's license", Andromeda said, "you get a discount at most hotels. I'll still need to go and withdraw some money from my account, though".

As the older boy went to do that, Lucas sat on one of the couches in the lobby. As he did so, he looked around, and was amazed by what he saw.

Even as hotels went, this one was pretty fancy. The staff he could see all wore high-end suits, such as tuxedos. Some of them were carrying trays covered with those fancy silver dishes, just like he'd seen in movies with high-end restaurants.

Although his family had been fairly well-off where he'd come from, and he had done a decent amount of travelling during his life, he'd never stayed in a hotel like this. He was glad that Andromeda was the one paying for it.

Eventually, the older boy returned from the ATM, and Lucas asked him a question.

"How much money do you have left in your account? We're only staying one night, aren't we?"

"Yeah" Andromeda replied. "I believe I have $15,768 left. I know; I have a pretty good memory for numbers".

That struck Lucas as yet another similarity between the two of them. Whenever the younger boy would read a book, he'd pay a lot of attention to the numbers within them. He didn't know why he loved numbers, he just did, for whatever reason.

"So", the younger boy said eventually, "how much does it cost to spend the night here? With our proof of being trainers and all?"

Andromeda looked at the receipt. "It'll be a lot of money, but we can afford it".

With that, they both waited together in the lobby for the bellhop to come down and confirm that their room was ready. When that happened, they walked up to their room, which was room number 331, on the third floor.

After they entered the room, Lucas was amazed at just how posh it was, and how glad he was that he had the opportunity to stay there. He wasn't the type of person to like things to be _too_ fancy, but this was different, in a way, in that this was a completely new experience.

Wasn't that what being a trainer and going on a journey was all about? He sure thought so.

"When are we going to battle the gym leader?" Lucas asked Andromeda. "Should we do it today or tomorrow? What do you think?"

"I think", said Andromeda, "that your Pokemon could use a little more practice first. Besides, it's not as though you're in the best of shape either at the moment".

Lucas nodded. The hospital might have pumped him with fluids, but that didn't mean he was completely okay. He didn't have nearly as much energy as usual, but he was able to walk over to the window.

As they were only on the third floor, they weren't able to see too much of Hearthome City, but what they could see was beautiful.

The city had been built in order to be child-friendly, and it showed; most of the buildings weren't huge, and there were ramps instead of stairs in most places, which worked well for small children in strollers. Even if it felt slight artificial, Lucas appreciated it for what it was.

"I like this place" he said aloud.

Of course, the fact remained that Hearthome was a fairly small city. Lucas had been looking forward to going to the large cities of Sinnoh, as well as the other regions, but this was not one of the most major ones.

"I know" Andromeda replied. "Trust me, I've been here quite a few times before. And believe me, it never gets old".

"You've been here before?" Lucas asked the older boy.

"Yep" he said. "My family travels a lot, which is why I've gotten to go to quite a few cities in Sinnoh already. This is probably one of my favorites, besides Snowpoint City".

"You like the snow a lot, I assume?"

"You'd better believe it" Andromeda replied. "I could just go and make snow angels all damn day, and I'd never get cold or sick of it at all. Really, I could".

"That, my friend, is _dedication"_ Lucas said. "Anyway...do you want to get some lunch?"

"Sure".

They ended up both ordering room-service cheeseburgers with fries. While they waited for their food to come, as well as food for their Pokemon, Lucas sat on his bed, cuddling with Orkun. The Riolu was beside himself with relief, and Lucas soon realized that he was feeling relieved as well.

 _Of course you're relieved,_ he told himself. _You just survived getting heat stroke and passing out in front of Andromeda and all of your Pokemon. It's not anything that should be unexpected._

At the same time, however, this felt different, in a way.

It was as though Lucas were experiencing the feeling of relief _from the perspective of his Riolu._ That made no sense at first, but then he realized something.

He must have been reading their thoughts, somehow. That still didn't make too much sense, but at least he had an idea as to what was going on.

 _Thank Arceus you're all right,_ Orkun said to his master, sounding extremely happy indeed.

Lucas hugged Orkun in return. "I'm glad that you're glad about that".

Soon enough, their food came, as well as Pokemon food for Orkun, Vinaka, Tai, and Soko. Because they spent much of their time in Pokeballs, essentially stasis chambers, they did not get hungry as frequently as humans did, and therefore did not need to eat as often.

"Mmm" Andromeda said. "This is a good burger".

Lucas, squirting a small amount of ketchup on the patty, took a bite out of it. He supposed that it was one of the better burgers he'd had in his life, but perhaps not the absolute best.

For a few minutes, the two of them ate in silence. Eventually, Andromeda put down his half-finished burger and said, "After we're done eating, do you want to go train with our Pokemon in the gym downstairs?"

Lucas smiled. "Sounds like a good idea, if we are to defeat Fantina successfully".

Eventually, both burgers, as well as both servings of fries, had been polished off. After that, they exited the room, making sure that all of their Pokemon were in their Pokeballs. They didn't need to get pawprints all over the floor of the hotel's stairwell.

The hotel did have an elevator as well, like most of the other buildings in Hearthome City. However, the boys didn't use it. Reason being, Lucas was a little squeamish about riding in elevators. Even if it wasn't for very long, he always felt like something could go wrong while trapped inside one of them.

"Really, Lucas, you shouldn't be afraid of elevators. The odds of something going wrong there are-".

Quite frankly, the younger boy didn't care what the odds were. All he wanted was to get down to the basement, where the gym was.

Andromeda was the one who punched in the code for the stairwell, from the key to the room. Like many hotels, for pretty much anything you would do in the hotel, you would be required to use your room key, so as to provide proof that you were staying there.

"All right" he said, once he had punched in the code, 014029. "Let's see what this gym is all about".

As soon as they walked down the stairs on the other side of the door, they found an area roughly the size of a high school gymnasium, except that the ceiling was a lot lower. Not only that, but the floor looked more like that of a tennis court than that of a basketball court.

Lucas let Vinaka and Orkun out of their Pokeballs, while Andromeda did the same to Soko and Tai. All four creatures looked very energetic and extremely excited to battle.

"Okay" the younger boy said, looking at both of his Pokemon. "Orkun, you will battle Tai. Vinaka, you will battle Soko. Does that sound like a plan, Andromeda?"

The older boy nodded. "I quite like that plan, Lucas".

With that, they separated the two pairs of Pokemon and sent them to opposite sides of the gym. After that, the battling began.

Soko seemed to be getting the better of Vinaka quickly. The Vulpix, try as she might to use Ember, turned out to not be very good at it. Granted, according to the PokeDex, she was only Level 5, so that made sense, since the Shinx was Level 10.

"Soko, use Charge!" Andromeda exclaimed. Almost immediately, the Shinx was enveloped by a yellow force of some sort, which appeared like an electric shield. The next attack on Vinaka would deal twice as much damage.

The Vulpix, of course, had only two options in return. She could either use Ember or Tail Whip; those were the only two moves she had. Neither of those were going to be very effective to stop the charged-up attack from Soko. Essentially, that meant that Vinaka had no recourse.

With Soko's Tackle, Vinaka fainted almost immediately. It was clear that she would not be able to battle anymore.

After recalling Vinaka to her Pokeball, Lucas turned his attention to the other battle that was going on, the one between Tai and Orkun.

Here, it was clear who was the stronger one. The Riolu was quick and agile, able to move out of harm's way with ease when it came to its opponent's attacks. Ultimately, the Turtwig was no match for Orkun, and it didn't take long for Tai to faint as well.

After Andromeda recalled Tai back into his Pokeball, he exclaimed, "Lucas! Go look at your Riolu!"

At first, Lucas didn't know what there was to look at. He supposed that it was pretty cool that at least one of his Pokemon had won their battle against one of Andromeda's.

Pretty soon, however, he realized that that's not what Andromeda meant.

Lucas saw that Orkun was engulfed in a bright blue light. He didn't realize what this was at first...and then the Riolu grew taller.

The young boy watched in amazement as Orkun grew until...he wasn't a Riolu anymore. It only took a few seconds for him to realize what was happening.

Orkun was now a Lucario.

* * *

 **Fun fact: Tai is named after Tai Trang, a contestant from Survivor: Kaoh Rong and Survivor: Game Changers. Also, we now have an average chapter length of 3,000 words or so, so there is that.**

 **Songs I listened to while writing this included "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane, "The Navy Song" by Billy Talent, and "Wonderful" by Everclear.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Encounter (Level 8). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 6). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge (Level 10).**


	12. The Call

**The first chapter of this story has 500 views! The total number is 1,270 at this time.**

* * *

 **SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 201X - 1:59 PM**

 **HEARTHOME CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 95 DEGREES**

"Congratulations, Lucas!" Andromeda exclaimed. "You got your Riolu to evolve into a Lucario. How'd you do it?"

Lucas was scratching his chin at first. It would not have been right to say that he was confused - that would have been putting it a little too simply. Rather, he was thinking something along a completely different path.

"Doesn't it...have to do with happiness during the daytime?" the younger boy asked the older boy. "Isn't that what determines when your Pokemon is going to evolve?"

"It does" Andromeda replied. "And what is it that determines how happy a Riolu is?"

"Isn't it...the amount of friendship it has with its trainer?" Lucas asked, scratching his chin. "I mean, I'm just grasping at straws here, you know?"

"No, you have it spot on" Andromeda said. "It means that you've been a very good trainer to Orkun".

 _You've been a very good trainer to Orkun._

Those words from his friend warmed his heart. And yes, at this point, Lucas felt as though he could call Andromeda Watson a friend. Not just an ally, not just a travelling companion, but an actual _friend._

It was then, however, that something struck him. Something extremely important.

"I should call my mother!" he exclaimed. "It's been three days that I've been on the road, and I haven't even bothered to follow up with her. What's wrong with me?"

 _I don't know, master,_ Vinaka said. _But you really should call your mother. She's probably worried sick about you, even if she doesn't already know what happened yesterday._

"You really should, Lucas" Andromeda said. "I assume that your parents love you. Mine don't really love me, so...there is that. It's just not the same, you know?"

Lucas fully understood that the older boy was saying. His childhood had been difficult enough, what with being autistic and all, but at least he had had fully supportive parents. If what Andromeda was telling him was the truth, he had not had the same level of support from his parents, something that really made the younger boy feel sad for him.

"They do" Lucas replied eventually, trying not to sound as though he was bragging. "They love me very much. Which is why I feel like I should call them, you know?"

"Of course" the older boy said. "You do that".

As soon as they got back to the lobby, Lucas picked up the phone and dialled the number for his home.

It was his mother who picked it up. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Hello, Mom" Lucas replied. He knew that his voice sounded different enough than Jason's that she'd be able to tell whose it was. Besides, Jason wasn't on a journey.

Aubry's voice made it sound like she was excited. "Lucas! It's been so long!"

"Only three days" her son said. "Really, it hasn't been _that_ long, you know? It feels that way to me, though. Sorry for not calling sooner".

"Oh, it's fine" Aubry replied. "So...is there anything you want me to know about the last few days?"

"Let's see...I met a guy named Andromeda. He's two years older than me, and he's from Sunyshore City. We're travelling together now".

"Nice" Aubry said. "Did you catch any new Pokemon?"

"Yeah. I got a Vulpix that I named Vinaka. Andromeda got a Turtwig named Tai and a Shinx named Soko".

"I see that you like alliteration".

Lucas shrugged, then remembered that his mother wouldn't be able to notice a shrug over the phone. "Yeah, I guess we do".

"So what else is new?" his mother asked him.

The younger boy felt sheepish as he was about to say what was new. He didn't particularly want to say it, because it would probably cause his mother to force him to go back home. At the same time…

 _This is my mother. I can trust her._

"Well, it's been really hot lately. We walked so far that I got heat exhaustion and passed out. I am currently recovering from it".

"We knew that already" Aubry replied. "The hospital in Hearthome City notified us of it. I'm _so_ glad you're all right".

Lucas chuckled slightly. "Yeah, me too. Trust me...I learned my lesson".

"Oh, really?" Lucas's mother questioned her son. "What will you do differently as a result of this having happened?"

"I will drink more water and not walk in the heat so much. Of course, it helps that we're going to be going farther north after this, maybe all the way to Snowpoint City".

"That sounds like a good idea" Aubry replied. "Lucas...you cannot imagine how worried I was when I heard the news that you had passed out. That...shook me quite a great deal".

"I understand" he apologized. "Like I said, I'll be much more careful in the future. Do you wish to speak with Andromeda?"

"Not right now - I'm busy doing the laundry. But remember to eat a healthy diet, and talk to me as often as you can over the phone. Got that?"

"Yeah".

After Lucas had hung up, he realized that he had forgotten to tell his mother about Orkun evolving into a Lucario. He supposed that it wasn't a matter of life or death, so it wasn't _that_ bad that he had forgotten it. Even so, he felt a little neglectful as a son, in a way.

 _Oh, shut up, you stupid brain,_ he told himself. _You're 13. It's not as though the weight of the world was on your shoulders. It's fine._

After that, the two boys went back up to their room, where Lucas spent the rest of the afternoon surfing the Internet, one of his favorite pastimes. Really, you could find quite a few interesting things if you knew where to look.

"Let's look up some information about Fantina" Andromeda suggested to the younger boy. "That's going to help us in our fight against her, wouldn't it seem that way?"

Lucas nodded in response. "I think you're right; we should do that. It would definitely be a more productive use of our time here".

As soon as he had accessed her Pokepedia page, he was intrigued almost immediately.

"It says here that she uses Drifblim, Gengar, and Mismagius. So, Ghost types. Do we have any Pokemon that hers would be particularly weak against? Or no?"

Andromeda shook her head. "Unfortunately, I don't know that we'll really have control over that. We only have four Pokemon with us".

Lucas analyzed his Pokeballs, looking over all of their stickers. Orkun, as a Lucario, was both a Fighting and Steel type. He was glad that Fantina wouldn't be using Fire type Pokemon, because those were the types of moves that Steel types were particularly vulnerable to.

Vinaka, on the other hand, _was_ a Fire type. Thankfully, she wouldn't be the one battling Orkun, otherwise that would end with the Lucario getting seriously injured; that wasn't something that anyone in his party wanted. One of their members had just spent the night in the hospital; they didn't need that to happen to another one of them.

As for Tai...he was still pretty weak. He could have done with a little more training, but what they'd already done would have to do. It was likely that he'd fall to one of Fantina's Pokemon, which was rather unfortunate.

And then there was Soko. The Shinx had shown himself to be quite a capable fighter, being able to defeat Vinaka quite easily. Hopefully he'd stack up equally well against the opposing team.

"Let's head out of here" Lucas told Andromeda a few hours later. "Do you want to find another place for dinner? Or do you want to get room service again?"

The younger boy didn't want to feel as though he was calling all the shots. He'd always been taught, from a very young age, that it was important to share the responsibility for various things. Now, he was able to put his parents' teachings into action, trying to make the world a slightly better place each day than it had been before, for those were the exact terms in which it had been put to him.

"Let's go out to eat" Andromeda replied, agreeing with Lucas. The younger boy was glad that here, at least, there was no argument. They both wanted the same thing, but Lucas knew that sometimes, in both friendships and relationships (weren't friendships a type of relationship?), you had to make compromises. There would not always be agreement.

They headed back out into Hearthome City. Luckily, by this point, the oppressive summer heat was starting to go away, something that Lucas was incredibly grateful for. He didn't need to get another heat stroke, quite frankly.

The two boys eventually chose a pizzeria that was right next to a public park. In the middle of this park, there was a swimming pool that many people were still enjoying. It was roughly half past five in the afternoon, so perhaps a little early for dinner, but both boys wanted to beat the crowds.

Lucas realized that he still knew very little about Andromeda, even though they'd known each other for three days by this time. It wasn't for lack of spending time together, of course; they'd been by each other's side almost nonstop since they had met.

After they placed their order for a large pepperoni and pineapple pizza to share, they started chatting about Hearthome City.

"What's your favorite part of Hearthome City?" Lucas asked Andromeda.

The older boy scratched some of the stubble that had begun to grow on his chin. Andromeda was roughly at the age that he should have started shaving, but he hadn't bothered to bring a shaver with him; he liked the rugged look a great deal.

"I just like how _accessible_ it is" Andromeda said eventually, after appearing to think about it for a period of time. "I feel like, no matter what, everybody's welcome here. It's really friendly, almost in a way that Sunyshore City isn't".

Lucas knew the feeling. The elementary school he'd gone to had felt very friendly, with a lot of services for special needs children like him. He supposed that all elementary schools were supposed to feel friendly.

When one contrasted that to his sixth-grade year, things had seemed that much more overwhelming. The homework was almost too much for him to handle. It wasn't that Lucas wasn't a smart kid, but he had little interest for the assignments that his teachers would set him. Based on that, he didn't see how he'd be able to make it through the rest of middle school, let alone high school and college. Had he not left school in order to become a trainer, things would have been very hard on him indeed.

"I know what you're talking about" Lucas replied. "Really, this place is pretty cool. Once we leave...I'm going to miss it. A lot".

"So will I. I just love how it's so family-friendly. Do you think that we're going to beat Fantina on our first try? Or should we train up our Pokemon more?"

Lucas didn't know whether to nod or shake his head. Eventually, he said, "I think we can. And no, I don't think we should train them any more".

Andromeda looked at the younger boy suspiciously. "You seem pretty confident".

"I just don't want to tire them out unnecessarily. I don't want to work them too hard, you know? That's my main worry about this, honestly".

"That you're pushing them too hard?"

"Yes" Lucas replied.

"Honestly, Lucas, you're going to have to get over that idea. You do realize that it is only by battling, and gaining levels, that Pokemon can evolve? That was so cool that Orkun evolved into a Lucario; wouldn't you love to see Vinaka evolve into a Ninetails?"

The younger boy shrugged. "I guess you're right. Well, we're going to get more powerful if we can get the Relic Badge from Fantina".

"Yep" Andromeda replied. "We sure are".

A few minutes later, their pizza arrived. It was your typical large sixteen-inch pie, but the crust was a little thinner than average.

Lucas bit into his slice. "Really", he said, "I prefer thicker crust. This pizza's nice, though".

"Beggars can't be choosers, though" Andromeda said. "You know, you could be stuck with hospital food".

Lucas turned to look at his travelling companion slightly oddly. "What do you mean by that? I thought that…".

"They were going to keep you for two nights at first, but, while you were sleeping, I got them to agree to release you in the morning. I didn't want to delay things any more than they were already being delayed".

Lucas was sure that this wasn't the intended effect, but he was starting to feel slightly guilty for what had happened. Even if he had only stayed for one night rather than two in the Hearthome hospital, that still meant that his episode had delayed the gym battle.

Although...he really didn't mind spending time in the city. It really was beautiful, in its own way.

He only hoped that he'd succeed and get the Relic Badge. If he did, perhaps he'd find it even more beautiful...if only because he'd then have to leave it.

* * *

The following morning dawned, and it wasn't as hot as it had been before. Indeed, it was probably fifteen or twenty degrees cooler, something for which both boys were extremely grateful. They didn't want to work their Pokemon too hard in the heat.

Of course, most gyms had air conditioning, except for those in extremely cold areas like Snowpoint City, or some of the places high in the mountains. Even so, it wasn't pleasant to be forced to do too much exercise on a hot day.

After making sure that Orkun, Vinaka, Tai, and Soko were safely inside of their Pokeballs, the boys left their luggage at the hotel they were staying at and took the subway into the center of the city.

Lucas found it slightly irritating that Andromeda kept telling him what line they had to take next. He understood that it was very important that he remembered it, but that didn't make it any less annoying.

"Blue line, Lucas".

"Okay, we have to change to the red line".

"All right, it's the purple line now".

He almost wished that the older boy would just shut up, but he was saying those words for very good reason. He certainly didn't want to get lost.

Finally, they got off at Hearthome Gardens, which was a large public park with flowers in a rainbow of colors. The gym was located at the far end of the park, and the two boys had to walk through the park in order to reach it. At least, unless they wanted to weave in and out of traffic on the road, or just take the sidewalk.

The day had a pleasant breeze to it; even the _weather_ seemed family-friendly today. It was a major departure from the oppressive heat of the last week, and Lucas was glad to not be sweating so much anymore.

"This park is beautiful" Lucas said, trying not to burst into tears of joy. Few things could make him cry, but beauty was sometimes one of them.

"You can say that again" Andromeda replied. "I remember going here when I was younger. This was the place that I always wanted to spend hours in, whenever we were in Hearthome City. I never got tired of it".

Lucas, too, had the feeling that, no matter what, he might never get tired of this park. It was practically a forest of flowers.

Eventually, they reached the other end of the park, where the gym was located. Both boys walked inside.

Even though it wasn't that hot outside anymore, Andromeda and Lucas were both very grateful for the air conditioning in the building. Lucas wiped his brow, hoping that he wouldn't find sweat there; he was sick of the stuff.

"There's the sign-up sheet" the older boy said.

Each gym, in all of the regions of the world, had a sheet in which one could write their name and sign up to challenge the gym leader. Fantina had three times that you could challenge her: Half past nine, half past one, and half past five.

"I see that her 9:30 spot is free. Let's do that" Lucas told Andromeda.

On the sign-up sheet, a mechanical pencil had been placed for them to write their names and hometowns. Andromeda quickly did so, and then they waited for someone to come and retrieve them.

Lucas looked up at the clock. It was 9:24 AM. Only six minutes remained until he would face his first gym battle. It had only been a week that he'd known Orkun, too; he'd have to command his Pokemon effectively; this was the first major test that he would face.

He sat in his chair, gripping the armrests so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Looking at the analog clock on the wall, the second hand was ticking far too quickly for his liking. It's strange, but when you don't want to do something, and are dreading it happening, time always seems to speed up.

Soon enough, a tall woman wearing a lilac purple dress came to the door. "I am told that I'll be facing Lucas Snow of Gardenia and Andromeda Watson of Sunyshore City today. Are those your names?"

Both boys nodded, confirming it.

The woman smiled. "I'm Fantina. If you want the Relic Badge, you're not going to get it without a fight".

* * *

 **I was going to include the gym battle in here as well, but I decided that it was going to be its own separate chapter instead. I didn't want to make the chapters too long, too quickly; I'm aiming for the average chapter size in Book A to be roughly 3,500 words or so.**

 **In any case, I hope you enjoyed! I'm going to have to study for the SAT some over this vacation, so I might have less time to write. But we'll see.**

 **See you guys next time!**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Encounter (Level 8). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 6). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge (Level 10).**


	13. The First Gym Battle

**This was not my favorite chapter to write. I'll admit it; I'm not the biggest fan of battles. But writing a Pokemon journey fanfiction inevitably means that there will be some battles, so that's the way it goes, I guess.**

 **I would like to thank everyone who has helped get this story to 33 reviews, 18 favorites, and 23 follows. You guys are awesome!**

 **With that, it's time for our first gym battle!**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 201X - 9:31 AM**

 **HEARTHOME CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 78 DEGREES**

Fantina led them through the doorway into the central atrium of the gym. As soon as Lucas saw the place, he was absolutely amazed.

He supposed that the room itself wasn't that fancy. In many ways, it was simply a larger version of the training room in the basement of the hotel they'd spent the previous night at. There was the same tennis-court floor, but the ceiling was a lot higher, perhaps twenty feet, much like the gymnasium at Lucas's elementary school had been.

What impressed him was the fact that he was finally, after all of these years and all of this time, getting to live his dream. He'd always wanted to be a trainer, and now he was going to be able to do that. It was going to be glorious.

The referee for the battle, a stout man wearing an outfit striped black and white, made an announcement in front of the forty or so people watching.

"The battle will be between gym leader Fantina of Hearthome City and the pair of Lucas Snow, of Gardenia Town, and Andromeda Watson, of Sunyshore City. Only the challengers are allowed to swap Pokemon".

Lucas could feel his palms sweating. He was never one to enjoy performing in front of an audience for anything. Essentially, that was what he was being made to do right now- not only would he be battling Fantina, but there were several dozen people in the stands who were going to notice if and when he made a mistake.

After gulping, the younger boy held out his Pokeball. "Orkun, release!"

With a beam of light, the Lucario was released from the Pokeball. Shaking himself off, as though to brush off dust (which wasn't there), Orkun exclaimed, _Let's do this!_

Fantina released her Drifblim, and the battle was on.

The first thing that the Drifblim tried to do was to pursue Orkun around the room. And it was _fast-_ you wouldn't think that the Blimp Pokemon would be able to cover such distances so quickly, but it did.

Thankfully, that was an advantage that the Lucario had as well. Orkun was quite literally bouncing off the walls, doing all that he could in order to avoid the attacks.

"Drifblim, use Astonish!"

Orkun flinched, but Lucas couldn't tell if he was doing it in order to avoid the attack or because he had been hit by it. Either way, it appeared that the attack had not done too much damage to the Lucario, something that the boy was very grateful for indeed.

"Orkun, use Aura Sphere!" Lucas called. He figured that, if Fantina was going to play it this way, ordering her Pokemon around and telling them what to do, Lucas might as well make some calls of his own.

As he was standing sideways on the wall, the Lucario made an effort to create an Aura Sphere. However, he was clearly struggling, and that was when Lucas realized something that made him feel guilty.

He'd never taught Orkun how to use Aura Sphere. That was something that would hopefully not prove to be the Lucario's undoing, because it was a pretty important skill for #448. That was just the way it was going to have to be.

Even so, Orkun seemed to be holding his own against the Drifblim. It did appear as though the Blimp Pokemon was able to land a hit or two of Astonish on the Lucario, because he flinched a couple more times.

Eventually, both Pokemon were on the ground once again, and the battle continued. It was very clear that things were about to get interesting. It was good that the audience were protected by bulletproof glass, because they might otherwise get hurt from said glass breaking and falling on them.

Using a Force Palm, Orkun was able to launch Drifblim back a very decent distance. It didn't look as though Drifblim had been knocked unconscious, but it might be on the ground for longer than the count of ten that was the universal determination for whether or not a Pokemon had become unable to battle.

The referee started counting up the numbers, and it was starting to look more and more likely that Drifblim was going to be DQ'd. However, that did not end up being the case.

After the referee had reached seven, the Blimp Pokemon, to Lucas's surprise, stood back up, clearly ready to keep fighting.

"Okay" Fantina said. "Drifblim, use Ominous Wind!"

Drifblim appeared to concentrate very seriously, trying to right itself. It appeared to take absolutely everything in order to use that one move, but it worked. Soon, wisps of purple smoke were covering the area.

Orkun was a little confused by that. The move had definitely done some damage to him, since he felt more exhausted from it, but he still used an Aura Sphere, hoping against hope that it would manage to connect through the purple fog.

It did. Drifblim was blasted backwards and hit the glass so hard it nearly cracked. It appeared that she was down for the count...and it was a success.

"Drifblim is unable to battle! The victory goes to Lucario!"

 _Orkun,_ the Lucario corrected, although he knew that the referee was not able to understand him. At the moment, he didn't really care about that.

Orkun walked back over to his master. "Orkun", Lucas said, "are you sure that you want to keep battling? It looks like that one took a lot out of you".

The Lucario smiled. _I'm not one to give up, Lucas Snow. I'm going to keep going until I faint. I'm not gonna go down quietly._

The trainer smiled. He knew that his Pokemon was very determined to take down Fantina's next one. Somehow, however, it reminded him of how he'd been pushing himself too hard on Route 212. Was there any similarity between the two situations?

He sure as hell hoped not.

"Okay, then" Lucas replied to Orkun. "Let's keep going. If that is really what you want to do".

After the Lucario nodded, Fantina recalled the unconscious Drifblim back into her Pokeball, and said, "All right. Let's see how you handle Gengar, Lucario!"

 _Oh no, not Gengar! I'm quaking in my boots!,_ Orkun exclaimed sarcastically. Lucas didn't know what he thought about that; it sounded rather overconfident to him, and the young boy wasn't one who appreciated overconfidence as a character trait in anything or anyone.

"Gengar, use Shadow Claw!"

The move totally caught Orkun off guard. The Lucario was barely able to stumble out of the way. Even so, part of the claw scraped Orkun on the hip, leaving a very visible claw mark that was slightly bleeding.

It was hard to imagine that the move hadn't caused Orkun some pain, but the Lucario didn't appear to be bothered. He continued jockeying for position, looking for a good place to attack Gengar.

"Orkun, use Aura Sphere!" Andromeda called.

Lucas had almost forgotten that his friend was standing right next to him. He'd been far too focused on Orkun to notice.

He turned to the older boy. "Can I make the calls here? He's my Pokemon, after all".

Orkun looked back at his master. _I don't appreciate you calling me YOUR Pokemon, as though I'm your property. Please stop that._

Lucas nodded, but he failed to notice that the Lucario had become distracted as a result. Orkun had been jockeying for position, biding his time until he would get a chance to attack. At this point, however, the boy had his doubts as to whether or not he would be able to land an attack on Gengar.

Because Gengar was _fast._

"Gengar, use Confuse Ray!"

The move managed to connect with Orkun, and the Lucario started holding his hands over his ears, as though he were trying to block out an unpleasant noise. After that, he started wobbling, as though he was standing on the deck of a ship.

"Orkun, use Aura Sphere!" Lucas yelled.

The Lucario was clearly making an attempt to do so, but there was a small problem with that. Okay, there was a big problem.

Confuse Ray, as the name of the move might suggest, caused the target to become confused. Orkun, no matter what move he was told to use, might do something else instead.

Lucas realized this too late. Unfortunately, he didn't have any berries or anything like that - he'd have to go with what he had.

Orkun started running all over the place, as though he were trying to escape someone running right behind him. Soon enough, he _was_ trying to escape Gengar, as the Shadow Pokemon was pursuing him. With one Shadow Claw to the backside, the Lucario fell off the wall.

"No…" Lucas breathed out, but it soon became evident that Orkun couldn't hear him. The Lucario had just been knocked unconscious; he'd lost the battle.

Of course, he still had a numerical advantage over Fantina. She had two Pokemon left, while he and Andromeda had three Pokemon remaining. The fact remained, however, that it was quite disconcerting to see Orkun lying prone on the floor, completely dead to the world.

"Get back" Lucas said, holding up Orkun's Pokeball. A bolt of red light came out, recalling the Lucario back inside the red sphere. The Lucario would probably need some healing at a Pokemon center nearby, but they couldn't worry too much about that at the moment.

Fantina laughed. "Great job, Gengar! One down!"

"Don't act so cocky" Andromeda replied. "You haven't won yet".

That wiped the smile right off the gym leader's face, but she didn't frown, either. "I haven't _lost_ yet, either. Show me your next Pokemon!"

"Your turn, Tai" Andromeda said, releasing the Turtwig.

Lucas was a little skeptical of his friend's decision; it made little sense to him. Tai was still a Level 6 weakling compared to any of Fantina's Pokemon. He would never have said that out loud to the Turtwig's face, but it was the truth, and anyone who even tried to pretend otherwise was just fooling themselves.

"Gengar, use Shadow Claw!"

Tai moved out of the way, quickly but in a wobbly fashion. Of course, it didn't really matter, so long as he did manage to get out of the range of the attack. It didn't have to be graceful.

"Tai, use Tackle!" Andromeda yelled.

Sure enough, the Turtwig obeyed its master's instructions, and was able to get a hit on the unsuspecting Gengar. In all honesty, Lucas found it quite flashy, and it was impressive out of such a clumsy Tiny Leaf Pokemon. He would never have thought Tai capable of such, but it had been a great catch by Andromeda.

Intially, Lucas had thought that the Turtwig was not worth catching, but it had turned out to be a good idea. Unlike Orkun, who had clearly been somewhat drained from his battle against Drifblim, even if he had won that round, Tai was going into this battle fresh.

"Great job, Tai!" Lucas called. "Keep it up!"

Fantina appeared to be getting frustrated. Her Pokemon were all in the thirties in terms of levels, and these Pokemon appeared to be absolute newbies. The fact that they appeared to be on par with hers...that was just embarrassing for the lilac-clad gym leader.

It wasn't long until, after more Tackles and plenty of pursuit around the large room, that Gengar had fainted. The battle had not been won yet, but the odds were now very much in the boys' favor. They still had three Pokemon left, and Fantina was down to her last one.

After Fantina recalled Gengar back into his Pokeball, she said, "Okay, boys. If you thought I was going to go easy on you, you were deluding yourselves. This is my toughest Pokemon".

Lucas tried not to be too worried at those words. After all, even if Tai fainted during this battle, he and Andromeda still had Vinaka and Soko to use against Fantina's final Pokemon, so they would probably be able to avoid a complete disaster in that regard.

However, something about the way the gym leader said that this was going to be her toughest Pokemon...it was quite chilling, to say the least.

Fantina released her Mismagius. The Magical Pokemon began teleporting all over the room, fading in and out like a bad television signal. Tai kept darting around the room as well, wishing to avoid Mismagius's attacks.

"Mismagius, use Shadow Ball!" Fantina yelled. In spite of the bravado she always seemed to try to put on, both boys could tell that she was starting to feel desperate, as though terrified that she was going to get defeated. It was in her voice, very easy to tell.

Mismagius created a purple sphere around herself, extending within a three-foot radius of her body. Lucas was impressed that it was so large.

Tai tried to avoid it, but he was knocked backwards by it, slamming into the wall and then sliding five feet to the floor. He didn't move.

 _No,_ Lucas thought. _Tai, please get up! We're counting on you!_

But the numbers the referee called kept going up. Four...five...six…

When the referee hit eight, the Turtwig slowly stood back up. It was clear that the hit against the wall had jarred him, however; he seemed a little more unsteady on his feet. However, Tai did look back and nod at both boys. _I'm going to keep going,_ he said in a determined manner.

Mismagius used Shadow Ball again, but this time, Tai was able to dodge it. Not easily, but he was able to get out of the way in time, and that was what mattered.

"Tai, use Tackle!" Andromed yelled.

The Turtwig ran, with a slight limp, over to Mismagius and began to use Tackle. It was an effective move, knocking the Magical Pokemon down, if only for a second; not enough to win the match.

It was then that Mismagius began teleporting around the room again. It was clear that Fantina had been telling the truth; this was going to be the toughest Pokemon that she had. But just how tough could she be?

"You're going down!" Lucas exclaimed, then put a hand over his mouth. He hadn't realized exactly what he was saying until he'd actually said it; this was quite a gaffe on his part.

"Not if I have any say over it!" Fantina replied boldly. It was clear that this was going to be a fight to the finish.

Tai used Tackle once again, and, this time, he was able to land a hit on Mismagius. It didn't appear to hit her too hard, but Mismagius was clearly stunned, at least for the time being.

"Take advantage of it!" Lucas yelled at Tai. "Wale on her as much as you can!"

It soon appeared that it was working. As Mismagius tried and tried to get up, Tai kept landing more and more hits on her. It was clear, within a minute, that the Magical Pokemon had been knocked unconscious.

There was a count of ten from the referee, and then the words both boys had been waiting to hear.

"Mismagius is unable to battle! Tai wins this round, which means that the victory goes to Lucas Snow of Gardenia Town and Andromeda Watson of Sunyshore City!"

* * *

 **Man...driving lessons...schoolwork...college visits...this isn't as much of a vacation as I thought it would be. I also learned that I'm getting my wisdom teeth out in April. The actual surgery won't hurt much, since I'll be in a "twilight sleep" during it, but it'll probably hurt a lot afterwards. There'll probably be a lull in my writing if the drugs keep me from doing so, but we'll see.**

 **I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review and tell me what you thought.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Encounter (Level 9). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 7). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge (Level 10).**


	14. Solanna Luzon

**Here is the fourteenth chapter of this story! I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck by me so far!**

 **I'm thinking that this may be 35 chapters or so, but we'll see. I look forward to hearing what you guys think of my new OC in the story!**

 **In other news, seasonal allergies have hit me full force. It really sucks, but I'm going to keep trucking for you guys.**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 201X - 10:01 AM**

 **HEARTHOME CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 78 DEGREES**

Fantina could barely believe it. Those two kids from the southern coast of Sinnoh, or at least close to it, had been able to make short work of her Pokemon.

And they'd only been at fairly low levels, too - most of them single digits, since she was able to tell which levels Pokemon were at just by looking. _She_ should have been the one beating them easily.

"Okay" she sighed. "I'll give you guys the Relic Badges".

Lucas couldn't help but feel like he was walking on pins and needles. Was this somehow a trap? Was Fantina going to spring another Pokemon on them, just when they thought that they had won? He'd read enough action novels to know that this was very much a possibility.

Luckily, that didn't happen. He and Andromeda walked, side by side, over to the gym leader. She looked as though someone had just stolen the title of prom queen from her, rather than someone defeating her in a battle.

"Here you go" she said, handing each of them a small badge.

Lucas looked at his badge. It was basically one large circle in the middle, with three circles that were ever so slightly smaller arranged around it in a triangular formation. Steel blue lines ringed the circles, connecting them all together. The middle circle was silver in color, while the other three were more of a very dark, slightly purple shade of cobalt.

"It's beautiful" Andromeda said, looking at it in awe. Lucas couldn't help but agree; the younger boy nodded as well.

"Well, you boys earned it, but you should probably get out of here. I have to heal my Pokemon, and so do you. I think it's mostly the Lucario that needs healing".

Lucas couldn't help but feel a little bad for Orkun in that moment. He'd pushed the Lucario pretty hard, and not forced him to take a break. It was because of this that the Aura Pokemon was currently lying in his Pokeball, unconscious.

"We'll go do that" Lucas replied to Fantina. "Thanks for letting us battle you".

The gym leader waved it off. "It's no problem; that's my job. You guys can go and enjoy those badges now".

After both thanking Fantina, the boys left the gym and decided that they were going to take Orkun and Tai to the nearest Pokemon center in order to be healed. It was a little harder to find it than expected.

"I thought you had a good sense of direction, Lucas" Andromeda told the younger boy in a slightly accusing tone as they rode the subway towards the Pokemon center. This was actually the second train they'd been on; the first one, the yellow line, had turned out to be the wrong way. Now, they were on the red line, the one that led to the right place.

Lucas took full responsibility for this. He had been the one to suggest taking the yellow line first. Thankfully, they had only gone three stops before they had been able to get off, after recognizing their error and realizing what they needed to do in order to get back on the right track.

"I always did as well" Lucas replied sheepishly. "I guess that I was wrong".

"You sure as hell were" Andromeda said. "But it's okay. They're not going to get any worse, since they're in their Pokeballs. Thank Arceus for this technology".

"Actually", said Lucas, "thank the scientists who helped develop Pokeballs. They're the ones you should thank, not Arceus".

"That's fair" the older boy replied.

Eventually, they reached the Pokemon center, where a Nurse Joy took the Pokeballs holding Orkun and Tai into a back room, which was where the healing machines were. The boys only had to wait ten minutes in the waiting room until their Pokeballs were returned to them.

"Thank Arceus for Pokemon centers" Andromeda said, carrying the Pokeballs that bore Tai and Soko.

"Actually", the younger boy replied, "thank whoever set up the Pokemon centers".

The older boy looked at Lucas weirdly. "You do realize that it's a figure of speech, right?"

Lucas shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry".

"It's cool" Andromeda replied. "Let's just get out of here and pack our bags. Let's find our way back to the hotel".

As they were riding the subway back to the hotel, Lucas allowed himself to bask in the glory of his first big win in a Pokemon battle.

He'd been quite nervous before the battle. Now that it was over, he only allowed himself a few brief moments of relief. After all, there would be many gym leaders to come, and he didn't know if they would get easier or harder. Certainly, there would be some enemy Pokemon that played to his team's strengths, and some that would not. Those were factors that he'd have to learn how to deal with.

Still, it was pretty awesome that he now held the Relic Badge. He turned it over and over in his hands, as though there were some secret code there that he was trying to decipher. So far as he knew, there was no such code, but you never knew.

They arrived back at the hotel and retrieved their bags from the room. Thankfully, nothing had been stolen, which was definitely a great relief, that all of their belongings were fine.

As they were about to leave, Lucas noticed something in the room, something that he hadn't seen before. It was lying on the room's dresser, and it appeared to be similar in size and shape to a placemat.

"What is that?" he asked himself, quietly enough that he was pretty sure Andromeda wouldn't be able to hear him.

As he got closer, however, he saw more clearly what it was. It was a map of the Sinnoh region, with all of the cities and towns pointed out. Hearthome City was circled in a bright red ink, and it was clear to see all of the routes that led to it.

"Where do you want to go next, Andromeda?" he asked.

The older boy had been facing the door, but, at Lucas's words, turned around and saw the map. "Let's see…" he said, scratching his peach fuzz.

"I say Route 208" Lucas replied, not waiting for what his companion would say. "That's where I want to go, if that's fine".

"Hold on a minute...where does that lead...ah, yes".

"We can go to Oreburgh City...yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I think that's a good next stop".

And so it had been decided. They would depart from Hearthome City after lunch, and then they'd head down Route 208 towards Oreburgh.

Because they had to check out of their hotel by noon on the day they were leaving, they decided that they'd eat lunch at a local restaurant instead. Lucas was quite enjoying his time in Hearthome City, and he wanted to experience as much of it as he possibly could, while he still could.

They took the subway again, but this time, they decided to head to Hearthome University. Reason being, they expected that there would be a lot of good restaurants nearby, and so they'd have plenty of options on places to eat. Luckily, they didn't run into any confusion on the routes.

"I'm the navigator from here on out" Andromeda asserted.

It might have been only an assertion, made only because he was still slightly angry from the confusion that the two boys had had previously, but Lucas found Andromeda quite authoritative. He didn't want to question him; it sounded like quite a good idea, given Lucas's track record on navigation.

They reached the end of the black line, right next to the gates of Hearthome University. Since it was summer break for most of the students, the part of the courtyard they could see from here was pretty quiet.

"Here we go" Andromeda said.

Lucas looked up at the sign he'd led them to. It was a small diner that looked fairly old-fashioned. It wasn't particularly fancy, but there were several other people already sitting there, eating.

Both boys saw this as a good sign. An empty restaurant was potentially suspect, but if a lot of people ate there, that meant it was probably safe.

"Welcome to Kate's Diner" the woman behind the counter said. "How may I help you today?"

Lucas and Andromeda sat at the counter, and Lucas ordered a chicken parmesan sandwich with fries. Andromeda ordered a BLT.

As the two of them were eating, they discussed the battle that had taken place that morning. Lucas looked at the Pokeballs all around him, sitting nearby on the countertop. Each of them held a low-level badass, he thought.

Tai, for instance, hadn't appeared to be too strong at first. After the first battle with Fantina, however, he appeared to be more and more viable. Of course, the Turtwig still had a long way to go before he could be entered into the Sinnoh League and have a good chance of winning.

"Do you ever want to enter the Sinnoh League?" Andromeda asked Lucas in between bites of bacon, lettuce, and tomato.

"I don't know" Lucas replied. "I mean, it would be pretty awesome...but I just don't know if we could win. Where is the tournament held, and when?"

"It's not a tournament in the traditional sense" the older boy said. "If you defeat all eight gym leaders in the Sinnoh region, you can then take part in the Sinnoh League. If you defeat them...well, it'll be glorious".

Lucas thought over it as he bit once more into the chicken parm grinder. The fame and fortune sounded pretty cool; he could definitely see himself as the champion. At the same time…

He shook his head. First things first, he'd have to focus on what was going on right now. Any thought of becoming champion would have to wait. He'd only beaten one gym leader in one city, and he was already thinking of being, essentially, the king of the world?

No, right now he was just a C-list trainer. That didn't necessarily mean he was bad at it, just that he needed more practice before the thought of becoming number one could really become a reality.

The boys finished their food and paid for it. After that, they took the subway back to the outskirts of the city. Making sure that Orkun, Vinaka, Tai, and Soko were safely in their Pokeballs, they began walking down Route 208.

And the next chapter of their journey began.

* * *

At first, things went normally enough. The weather wasn't nearly as hot today as it had been before, something that both boys were grateful for.

As they were walking along the avenue, Andromeda kept having unwelcome flashbacks.

 _No...I don't want to think about that...please, brain, no…_

No matter how hard Andromeda tried, he could not get the image of his friend passing out out of his mind. It was too pervasive, too shocking that it had happened, for that.

It was a rather cloudy day as well. The sun, which had been shining brightly that morning in Hearthome City, was now ducked behind the clouds. There were still some blue spots visible, but they were like small blue islands in an ocean of gray.

The scenery, too, was different from that of Route 212. There were a lot more forests now, some made of deciduous trees, some evergreen. Lucas could only wonder what was lying inside some of them at this very moment. There could be any number of Pokemon waiting to attack any unsuspecting adolescent trainers.

He supposed that, after several days on the road, very little should have scared him. He'd had one near-death experience already, and he wasn't eager to have any more.

In the middle of the afternoon, there was a disturbance up ahead. It appeared that there was a horde of some type of Pokemon, attacking something in the middle.

"That's wrong" Andromeda said. "We've got to save whoever it is in there".

Lucas was hesitant. He wasn't the strongest fighter out there; indeed, he was pretty weak in a fistfight. His Pokemon weren't much better.

 _Although,_ he thought, _they did beat Fantina's Pokemon. Perhaps they wouldn't be so weak after all._

"Let's do this" the younger boy replied. "I'll go over there with Orkun and Vinaka, and you stay here with Soko and Tai".

It took all of Lucas's courage to say that, but he felt that it ought to be that way. He really did want to be able to show, to both himself and Andromeda, that he could solve problems on his own, that this world wasn't too much for him to handle.

"Okay" Andromeda shrugged. "You do that".

The horde of Pokemon was probably about three hundred yards ahead. Even though Lucas had long legs for his age, he had a hard time sprinting for such a long distance. And it wasn't even that terribly long a distance, but he supposed that, only the morning before yesterday, he'd woken up in a hospital bed after having heat stroke. Perhaps he was still tired from that, but he doubted it.

The Lucario and Vulpix ran along with Lucas towards the commotion. The closer they got, the easier it became to see what was going on.

A group of eight Mankey were surrounding a young girl and her Charmander. The girl, probably about Lucas's age, had her hands over her ears, while the Charmander looked as though he were trying to retreat inwards, away from all of the drama and chaos. Of course, that was much easier said than done.

"Aparri! Use Growl!" the girl yelled.

The charmander, apparently named Aparri, made an attempt to use Growl. Lucas knew that this move was intended to make enemies have lower attack power, which would make it easier for the girl to get out of the way.

"What are you doing here?" the girl yelled at Lucas, as though she were punching him with words. "It's far too dangerous!"

"I want to help you. Orkun, use Aura Sphere!"

Orkun hopped backwards, readying his arms into the proper position for the move. Lucas wanted his Lucario to be able to take out some of them, while the Vulpix could take out some more…

Except, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed that Vinaka would be useless here. After all, she was a Fire type, and so were the Mankey. It wouldn't be easy to get rid of them, not at all.

Orkun shot one Aura Sphere at a Mankey, blasting him out of the way. This caused some of the others to scatter, but there were still a good number surrounding the girl and her Charmander.

It was clear that, since Aparri was a Fire type as well, Orkun was going to be the only Pokemon present that could help. There were still four Mankey surrounding the girl, and Lucas knew that he wasn't going to win unless something happened to change the equation.

That something happened to be Andromeda coming from behind Lucas.

"How are you holding up?" the older boy asked the younger one, leading the Turtwig and Shinx over to where Lucas was.

"Not great. We've got to get rid of all of these Mankey!"

"Please" the girl said. "Save me!"

Eventually, she was brought to her knees from the Mankeys' attacks. They were definitely taking their toll on her, and it was looking like they might succeed at killing her.

 _What beef do they have with her?,_ Lucas wondered. _Why would they just attack her like that?_

"Soko! Use Tackle!"

The Shinx was able to take out two more of the Mankey before collapsing to the ground. Soon, however, Soko stood back up and continued its attack on the horde.

It wasn't long until the entire horde of Mankey had been dispatched. The girl fell to the ground, looking extremely relieved.

"Are you all right?" both boys asked her at once.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she replied. "Thanks".

Andromeda reached out his hand in order to help the girl stand up. "What's your name?" he asked the girl.

"Solanna Luzon" the girl replied. "And this Charmander's name is Aparri".

 _Solanna,_ Lucas thought to himself. _That's a nice name._

"I'm Andromeda Watson, and this is Lucas Snow. We're on a journey".

"Nice. So am I" Solanna replied.

Now that Solanna was no longer surrounded by a horde of Mankey, Lucas was able to see more of her appearance, and it became clearer exactly what she looked like.

Solanna was probably about Lucas's age, give or take a year. She was a great deal shorter than either of the boys, and slightly pudgy, but not too fat.

It was her eyes that were the prettiest part of her to Lucas, though. They were blue, the same color as the ocean...the same color as his. That was something he found rather special.

"Thanks for saving me" she said again, twirling her brown hair around. It hung down her back in one long wave, so that she almost looked like a mermaid.

"It's no problem" Lucas replied. Then, shook by an impulse he'd just had, he said, "Do you want to join us?"

Solanna nodded. "I'd love that. I'd like to tell you more about me, just because I want you to know why I'm here. I just started my journey myself".

"You did?" Andromeda asked. "Then you have something in common with Lucas here".

"You too?" Solanna asked the younger boy.

"Yep" Lucas said, smiling. "I only left home four days ago".

"I only left the academy yesterday" the girl replied. "I've been there for a year".

"What academy?" Andromeda asked.

"I'll explain" Solanna replied.

* * *

 **Ahh! Cliffhanger! Somewhat. I think it's a bit lame as cliffhangers go, but still a good ending to the chapter.**

 **So, yeah. Please tell me what you think in the review box below.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Encounter (Level 9). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 7). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge (Level 10).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 13).**


	15. Charlie's Angels

**You're probably wondering why I titled the chapter this. You will find that out in good time.**

 **I would like to thank The Cursed Blur for being the 20th person to favorite this story. It really feels great to have twenty favorites, but we still have a long way to go until the end of this story!**

 **Enjoy this chapter; I hope you look forward to getting to know Solanna better.**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 201X - 3:38 PM**

 **ROUTE 208, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 76 DEGREES**

Route 208 sloped gently uphill. It was a barely noticeable incline; the teens didn't get too tired as they continued along the route. However, it was easy to become short of breath from walking on the gravel. They had to stop often.

The reason for the incline? They were in the foothills of Mount Coronet, the tallest mountain in all of Sinnoh. Based on this, one could be forgiven for thinking that they were already climbing the mountain, a little bit at a time.

"So...what's the academy like, Solanna?" Lucas asked the girl. He was quite curious. Normally, he didn't like talking about topics he wasn't particularly interested in, but he wanted to know more about the mysterious girl they had just come across.

"It's quite nice. Thanks, Lucas. It was only for one year, though, so there is that".

"What did you do during that year?" Andromeda said.

Solanna appeared to be questioning herself, as to whether she really wanted to answer him. Eventually, she replied with, "It was to become a better Pokemon trainer".

After the older boy gave Solanna a quizzical look, she held up her hands like a suspect in a crime. "I didn't have my license revoked or anything! I just wanted to be the champion, or at least be a better trainer!"

It was no secret to anyone present that a trainer could have their license revoked at any time. Reasons for having that happen did vary, but most ex-trainers whose licenses had been confiscated had abused their Pokemon or something like that. It was considered the utmost shame on one's family to have a trainer who had lost their license, with some even being disowned from their families.

Granted, if they _were_ disowned, they kind of deserved it, at least in Lucas's opinion.

"I never said I thought you had" Andromeda replied. "But...what is the academy like?"

"It's in Coronet Town, fairly close to here. We pretty much just learned things about training Pokemon, and...that's it. I just graduated yesterday, and I'm on a journey with you guys now".

"Do your parents know where you are?" Lucas asked the girl.

"Oh, they do" Solanna replied. "It's all been settled between us; there's no confusion over where I am at all. And really, I'm grateful for that".

"Aren't we all?" Andromeda said.

"Perhaps, if we find a way to teleport, if we can get a Kirlia or something, I can then show you where the academy is. They let alumni visit, you know, anytime during the summer".

"They do?" Lucas asked.

"Yep" she said. "And during the year as well. I'll show you guys eventually. But...where were you guys going again?"

"Oreburgh City" said Andromeda. "A little west, and then south of here".

"Yeah, I know my geography" Solanna replied, somewhat indignantly. "But yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I just didn't really know where I was going to go".

"Well, we can do this together" Lucas replied, and he was almost immediately self-conscious.

It was his _voice_ that had gotten him that way, of all things. From the tender age of two, he'd received speech therapy, in order to say certain sounds better. Those problems, like his sensory issues, were mostly gone now, but his voice had always sounded fairly childish to him. Perhaps that was simply his own insecurity, and not anything qualitatively different about his voice. However, that was definitely something that always haunted him.

"Yeah, we can. By the way, your voice sounds a little weird" Solanna said.

"It-it does?" Lucas replied. _How on Earth did she read my mind?_

"Yeah. Do you have a cold or something?"

The younger boy shook his head. "This is just the way I've always sounded. If you have a problem with that-".

"No, no, it's fine!" Solanna replied, although Lucas didn't see the need for her to apologize. "I was just wondering what it was".

"He has Asperger's syndrome" said Andromeda.

The girl narrowed her eyes. "What's that?" she asked.

"I'll explain later" Lucas replied. "Right now, we've just got to find a Pokemon center eventually. What level is your Charmander?"

"He's Level 13" Solanna said. "He knows Scratch, Growl, Ember, and Smokescreen. I know this very well, just because I've been at the academy, and become _very_ acquainted with him".

"Ah. That's nice" Andromeda said, although it was clear that the older boy was just paying lip service, not really interested in what the girl had to say.

"In any case", Lucas said, "I've got a Lucario and a Vulpix. The Lucario's a male, and his name is Orkun".

"What does that mean?" Solanna asked. "I've never heard that name".

"It means thank you" the younger boy replied. "I just thought it was really cool to name him that, just because of how we met".

"How did you guys meet?"

"Again, I'll explain once we get to a Pokemon center. Let's just keep going; it can't be long now".

The sky got cloudier and cloudier, and it soon began to rain. Fat, wet drops of water fell from the sky, turning the gravel a darker shade of gray.

None of them had thought to bring an umbrella, so they just had to deal with it.

"Man, this rain _sucks!"_ Solanna complained as they were heading up another uphill segment of Route 208.

"It does" Lucas said. "We'll find a Pokemon center soon, I'm sure".

Of course, Lucas couldn't be sure of that. The nearest one could have been miles away, in which case they'd end up getting pretty soaked before they ended up reaching the place. He just wanted to stop Solanna from worrying too much.

It was nearly half an hour until they reached a building that even slightly resembled a Pokemon center. It was soon clear that that was exactly what it was. The teens entered the building.

After letting Orkun out of his Pokeball, Lucas asked, "Do you think you need healing, Orkun?"

"I don't" the Lucario replied. "I feel fine".

"Okay...if you're sure" his master said. Turning to the woman at the front desk, he said, "A room for three, please?"

The woman at the front desk said that they could fit three in one room, but they would have to send in a mattress that would lie on the ground. After playing rock-paper-scissors in order to find out who it would be, Andromeda ultimately got the short end of the stick.

"These clothes are going to have to go in the dryer" Andromeda said. "Good thing that I know how to do laundry".

"How old are you?" Solanna asked Andromeda. "They did all the laundry for us at the academy".

"Fifteen" the older boy replied. "Even though I grew up in a pretty rich family, and we had servants to do all of those things, my parents still made sure that I knew how to do my own laundry. He said that it would be important in the future".

"Ah" Lucas said. He felt, once again, self-conscious. He didn't do his own laundry, and had never done so in his life. Part of that had to do with his poor executive functioning skills, he assumed.

"So...what's that Asperger's thing again?" asked Solanna. The girl clearly wanted to know desperately; she was hungry for information.

"Just do a quick Google search on Pokepedia or something like that" Andromeda said curtly. "If Lucas doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't have to".

"It's fine, it's fine" the younger boy replied. "But I really don't know how to describe it. I suppose you could get a book from the library here".

"They have libraries at Pokemon centers?" Solanna asked.

"Yep. At least, they do at this one" Andromeda replied. "Do you want me to check it out for you, for the night? We can't keep it forever, or even for very long at all, since we'll be leaving tomorrow morning".

"Ah, the life of a trainer" Lucas said. "It's quite demanding, isn't it?"

Honestly, Lucas didn't know if he was being sarcastic or not. He decided that he didn't care, though; all he wanted, really, was to get some dinner. Two battles and a ton of walking had made him very hungry indeed.

The adolescents headed to dinner and each made their selections. While they ate in the dining room, Lucas asked Solanna about the food that they served at the academy.

"Oh, it was amazing" the girl replied, looking glassy-eyed, as though she were imagining herself away in the foothills of Mount Coronet, feasting on that, instead of on the calzone she had before her. "It was simply divine".

"Can you explain what was so awesome about it?" Lucas asked in between bites of his steak.

"Well...they had a huge feast on the first night, to welcome everyone there. They had steak, burgers, fries, pizza, ham, vegetables...you name it, they had it. Except that the tables were _super_ long; the hall must have been a hundred yards in length".

Lucas tried to picture such a scene, but couldn't. It sounded amazing to him, much more grandiose than the dining room at the Pokemon center that had maybe twenty small tables.

"This food's really good, though" Solanna continued. "Like, I don't know how they get it all here, since the climate of Sinnoh isn't the best for agriculture, but...yeah".

A thought struck Lucas. "Where did you grow up?" Her accent wasn't like any that one would associate with Sinnoh.

"Ah...Kanto" she replied. "But my parents sent me to the academy in Sinnoh, because that was the best one to become a trainer. I want to become the champion of Kanto".

"But this is Sinnoh" said Andromeda. "You won't become the champion of Kanto by just conquering the gyms in Sinnoh".

"Indeed I won't" the girl replied. "But I want to become the champion of the whole world, not just Kanto. I want to beat _all_ the gym leaders".

"Nice" Lucas replied. "That would be amazing. Not a whole lot of people have done that".

"Yeah" Solanna said. "Oreburgh City. Should we look it up?"

"Good idea" Andromeda replied. Taking his iPad out from his lap, he typed in the name of the city, and then said, "Apparently it's a mining city in central Sinnoh. In spite of this, the quality of the air and water is quite good, thanks to their carbon capture methods. To put it another way, they have _beautiful, clean coal._ We could take a tour of the mines there, after we win the battle against Roark".

"Roark? That's the gym leader, right?" Lucas asked, just for the sake of confirmation. He already knew the names of all the gym leaders, since he was quite interested in battling.

"Yep. I don't know how hard she'll be, after we beat Fantina in Hearthome City".

"You beat the gym leader of Hearthome?" Solanna asked. "Can I see the badge?"

"Sure" Lucas replied, digging his hand into his backpack. Due to the fact that he had severe OCD, this wasn't something he particularly liked to do while eating dinner. However, he eventually placed the Relic Badge on the table, showing Solanna proof that he had, indeed, defeated Fantina.

"And how long have you been on the road, again?" asked Solanna.

"Four days" Lucas replied.

"That is insane" the girl replied. "Four days, and already one badge under your belt. What else happened?"

"Well", Andromeda said, "Lucas here learned that it's a good idea not to work yourself too hard in ninety-degree weather. The hard way".

"Yeah" the younger boy said.

"Why? What happened?" Solanna asked, not having seen the time he'd passed out in front of Andromeda and their team of Pokemon.

"I got heat exhaustion" he explained. "Had to spend the night in the Hearthome City hospital. But hey, at least I got a cool story to share out of it".

"I suppose there is that" the girl replied. Lucas noticed how she'd cut into her calzone, in order to be able to see all of the meats, cheeses, and vegetables. He didn't know why he noticed that, but he thought it was kind of cool, that they had layered everything seemingly perfectly.

After dinner, they headed to the library in the Pokemon center, where Solanna bought the book, _Asperger's Syndrome for Idiots._ Lucas decided not to crack a joke about how she was admitting herself to be an idiot by buying the book.

Of course, he didn't really think that Solanna was an idiot. From what he'd seen of the girl, she appeared to be rather intelligent. He didn't know everything about her yet, but that was just the impression he had of her at this point.

As Solanna read the book, Lucas thought back to when he'd first started this journey.

It was ridiculously difficult to believe that it had only been four days ago that he'd departed his home in the suburbs of Pastoria City. So much had happened since then, so much had changed, both for better and for worse.

However, he concluded as he drifted off to sleep, the good far outweighed the bad.

* * *

 **MONDAY, JUNE 20, 201X - 2:58 AM**

 **TEAM ROCKET HEADQUARTERS - SINNOH BRANCH**

 **LOW TEMPERATURE: 54 DEGREES**

A cool breeze came into the window, ruffling the blanket over the young man's bare chest. This caused him to regret the fact that he'd worn nothing but boxer shorts to bed.

Of course, Sam Scott should have known better. It wasn't as though he hadn't been living at this base for three months, but it had been quite warm during the day, and the physical training he'd been mandated to do made him feel quite hot indeed. He hadn't thought that he needed to wear pajamas that night.

Just then, his alarm went off. He didn't know why he always woke up just before his alarm; perhaps that was the way his brain was designed. Of course, it was debatable as to whether the human brain was really _designed,_ but that was beside the point.

His alarm was "The Navy Song (In The Fall)" by Billy Talonflame. The song really managed to wake him up, even when it was three in the morning. Even when the last thing he wanted to do was to get out of bed, it was quite effective.

Sam did so, stretching his legs a little more to get the blood flowing. For a minute, he couldn't really remember why, exactly, he had been made to wake up this early. It didn't make too much sense.

And then he remembered. He had a call at approximately 3:03 AM that he would need to take. Team Rocket, since they spent so much time trying to evade capture, was forced to schedule everything down to the minute. You had to be extremely specific, whether you were a mere grunt, like Sam, or had a position higher up.

Sam didn't see anything to do other than wait for the call to come in. When his ringtone, "Burn the Evidence" (also by Billy Talonflame) played, he picked up the phone and asked, "Hello? Who is this?"

"It's Charlie" replied the voice on the other end of the line. "I need to talk to you, Mr. Scott. You know where my office is, I presume?"

 _How old does he think I am? Four?,_ the young man thought to himself, throwing on some sweatpants and a fleece shirt.

"Where did you go, Mr. Scott? I'm waiting for a response from you!"

The young grunt apologized profusely. "Sorry, Charlie. I was just putting on some clothes. You wouldn't want to just see me in boxers, would you?"

Charlie sounded, on the other end, as though he were narrowing his eyes. "Was that a threat, Mr. Scott?"

"No. It wasn't" Sam replied, hoping desperately that Charlie believed him.

"Very well, then" Charlie said. "I'll expect you in my office immediately".

Sam nodded. Then, remembering that Charlie couldn't see that he was nodding, he said, "Yep, see you".

After that, he hung up and headed down the hallway to Charlie's office. After knocking on the door, he was greeted by the man himself.

Charlie was a middle-aged man who wore a green vest. He also had green hair, making him look rather like a forest elf, or like Pikachu Pan. He sat with his feet on his desk, looking extremely casual, considering the fact that he'd been desperate enough for Sam to show up at just past three in the morning.

"It is now 3:06 AM" said Charlie. "This meeting will go on until 3:19 AM. I have refreshments for this meeting, too".

The green-clad man, after the light was turned on in the room, reached over to his refrigerator and took out what looked like a giant tart filled with some kind of pale yellow custard. The crust appeared to be made out of crushed graham crackers.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"It's key lime pie" said Charlie. "I thought that every member of Charlie's Angels knew that this was my favorite dessert".

Charlie's Angels was the name for Team Rocket's Sinnoh branch. While the organization as a whole had its HQ in Kanto, each region had its own branch, so as to make it harder for law enforcement to shut it down. The reason it was called Charlie's Angels was obvious.

"You probably would like to know why I wish to talk to you" Charlie asked Sam, cutting a slice of the key lime pie and placing it on a plate for the younger man.

"I would like to know that" Sam replied.

"Well, it's very simple. How do I put this...there's a mission that you can go on. It'll really help attempts to shut us down".

The young man scratched his chin. "What kind of mission is this? Because, you know, I'm really enjoying it here".

It was true. He enjoyed living in the dormitories here, even though they were deep inside Mount Coronet. The reason for the breeze was that there were air vents that circulated air from the surface and put them back into the base. This was so that they didn't run out of oxygen in there.

"Sam, here is your job. There are four threats to us, and there is reason to believe that at least three of them are travelling together. Each of these is known to have the power of aura".

 _Aura..._ what sort of sense did that make? How could a human have the powers of aura?

"One of these is Lucas Snow. He's thirteen years of age. Date of birth June twelfth. He has Asperger's syndrome, is roughly 5'7", and has broad shoulders. Light brown hair, steel blue eyes. Here is a photograph of him".

Charlie reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a photo. Sam looked over it.

The kid in the photograph looked innocent enough. It was hard to imagine that he might pose a threat to Team Rocket. His full-braces smile certainly didn't look threatening.

"The next one is Andromeda Watson, date of birth March fourth. He is fifteen years old. Black hair, olive eyes, pale skin. Here's the picture".

Charlie placed Andromeda's picture right next to Lucas's. The two teens had both been facing in opposite directions when the pictures were taken. When placed together, the pictures made it appear that they were facing away from each other, like a couple having a nasty fight.

"And here is Solanna Luzon. She is twelve years old, date of birth April seventh. Here's her picture".

In between the photographs of Andromeda and Lucas, a picture of a slightly overweight girl was placed, with a braid running down her back.

"She's pretty" Sam said, licking his lips like a werewolf might when they were thinking of digging into some human flesh.

"Yes, she is".

Sam remembered one more detail. "What about the fourth person? I thought you were going to give me a picture of him".

Charlie frowned. "At the moment, we have little information about the person we will call number four. All we know is that he is male. We'll likely know more as we gather data, but it does not appear that number four is travelling with Lucas, Andromeda, and Solanna at the moment".

"It doesn't?"

"Indeed", Charlie replied, "we don't know his age, height, weight, hair color, eye color, place of origin, or anything like that. Number four is a total mystery to us".

Sam couldn't believe how hard this might turn out to be. He was supposed to locate these people? How was he going to do that?

"It's not going to be too hard to find them, though" Charlie continued. "Indeed, I am fairly confident of that. We do have some clues as to their whereabouts".

"What are those?" Sam replied.

"Well, for one", the boss said, "we know that three of them are together, and they were last spotted walking westward on Route 208. Take from that what you will".

Sam took out his mental map of Sinnoh. He knew that, if one was heading westward on Route 208, they were most likely either going to Eterna City or Oreburgh City. Based on that, could it be possible to guess where Lucas, Andromeda, and Solanna were?

"They can't have gone far" Charlie said. "I think we all know that".

Indeed, that was clear to both of them. They'd most likely be staying at a Pokemon center for the night, and it wasn't likely that they'd leave until the morning. At the same time…

"I can't go out and snatch them in front of all the people at the Pokemon center!" Sam exclaimed. "There'll be far too many witnesses there. We'll have to do it subtly if we are to have a chance at succeeding".

"I think", said Charlie, "that subtlety will be easy. I'll show you later how you'll disguise yourself. Right now, however, I think you should head back to bed. You'll need to be well-rested, and, besides, it's almost 3:19".

"Okay" Sam replied. "I'll do that".

After finishing his slice of pie, he bade farewell to Charlie and headed back to his room, anxious about his mission.

* * *

 **There we go! I'm pleased to post this chapter, and there is some very exciting news that I am willing to share with anyone who wants to PM me and ask me what it is. I don't really want to post it here, though.**

 **"The Navy Song (In The Fall)" is one of my father's favorite songs, as is mine. It's by Billy Talent, and Billy Talonflame is just another name for my favorite Canadian punk rock band. I highly recommend looking it up.**

 **With that, I'll see you next time!**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Encounter (Level 9). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 7). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge (Level 10).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 13).**


	16. Lucas's Nightmare

**This story is going quite well now. I am pleased to announce that this chapter will cause us to pass the 50,000-word mark! If you want to know how the story is going, be sure to follow me on Twitter at KingSledge2000.**

 **As for this chapter, it's not the longest one, but it's a fairly decent length, I should think. I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

 **MONDAY, JUNE 20, 201X - 6:32 AM**

 **TEAM ROCKET HEADQUARTERS - SINNOH BRANCH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 73 DEGREES**

Sam woke up three hours after he'd gone back to bed, feeling distinctly unrested.

At first, he didn't know why this was, but he was in a cold sweat, as though he had a fever, and his body was attempting to sweat it out. He soon realized, however, that this wasn't what had caused it.

Once he was fully returned to the waking world, Sam remembered everything that had happened last night. This included being told about the mission that he would have to go on.

 _Lucas Snow..._ if that Aspie kid had anything to do with a threat to Team Rocket, Sam knew that the threat needed to be neutralized as quickly as possible. The way things were going, it wasn't going to be long before they were discovered.

This was the genius part of building the base inside of the tallest mountain in Sinnoh: Nobody would risk attempting to destroy it. It would take a _lot_ of dynamite or other explosive in order to blow up such a large mountain, and besides, why would they want to? Mount Coronet was considered sacred in Sinnoh; Spear Pillar was where everything had been created from, after all.

No; it wasn't likely that they would be at risk from people attempting to destroy their base. But there were other threats as well.

One of the first fears that Sam Scott had had to get over when he'd started working for Team Rocket was his claustrophobia, his fear of enclosed spaces. The entire base, since it was located inside a mountain, was technically underground. He still remembered the day he'd signed up, when he'd been described the nightmare scenario for Charlie's Angels.

Were enough explosive detonated in an attempt to destroy the base, or there simply were an earthquake, this could create a landslide that would cover up the air holes. Were that to happen, due to the immense amount of people in the complex, there would only be a few days to a week's worth of oxygen left, after which the residents would suffocate and die.

Luckily, Charlie's Angels had some explosives of their own that they had stashed in an airtight room in the complex. Were the nightmare scenario to come true, they might be able to blast their way out of there. It would be risky, but so would waiting to be rescued. So would be staying a member of the Sinnoh branch of Team Rocket, because there was always a chance that they might get caught on a mission, and because the nightmare scenario could theoretically happen at any time.

Sam looked over the pile of clothes that had been arranged on his bed. He didn't really know what the weather was like outside; it wasn't like he went out very much. Therefore, it was hard to tell what he should be wearing.

Ultimately, he settled on a thin fleece. It wasn't the coolest type of clothing temperature-wise, but he could always change if he got too hot.

After he had packed everything else, he waved good-bye to his room, even though the room, of course, wasn't going to wave back. He didn't care too much, however; he was beyond caring.

He left the dormitory and walked back down the corridor. The place was made up of tunnels that were a metallic gray color; even though it was in a mountain, the place was decidedly manmade. It was better not to think about how it had been constructed, because otherwise you'd constantly feel as though you were getting crushed- or, rather, worry about actually _being_ crushed.

At the same time, Sam understood why the headquarters for Charlie's Angels had been placed here. Nobody would bother to look inside the tallest mountain in Sinnoh.

The corridor could have been out of a sci-fi movie, with metallic chain links being the floor. The young man felt as though, if he didn't step gingerly, he'd fall right through. Of course, he knew that the place had been built much better than that.

He walked into the dining hall, where he was going to eat one last breakfast before he left on his mission. He saw that the traditional buffet had been set up, with every manner of breakfast food one could imagine layered on top of the red tablecloth.

After selecting some sliced fruit, a croissant, and a sausage, he sat down next to his best friend, Redmond.

Both men were twenty years of age. They had both been working for Team Rocket for three years, and had been living in the same dorm for a while. Redmond was tall and beefy, with a dark brown beard. He also had an artificial leg, but it worked just as well as a normal one.

"I'm leaving today, Red" Sam told his best friend.

Redmond looked surprised. "Why?"

Sam told him that he was going to be leaving in order to track down three threats. Nothing too specific, but enough that Redmond would be able to grasp what was going on.

"Sounds like fun" Redmond replied. "Of course, it might not be, but you never know".

"Yeah" Sam said, taking a bite out of his croissant. "I hope that I'll see you again after this".

"Me too".

After both men had finished eating, Sam fist-bumped Redmond and left the dining hall. He walked over to the main entrance of the area.

It wasn't fun, making your way back to the entrance of Mount Coronet. There was a door, but it was hidden in the midst of a system of sewers. Coronet Town's sewer system was a maze, and it was very easy to get lost down there, in which case you'd likely eventually get some kind of bacterial infection. Thankfully, that rarely happened, but if it did, the base did have a hospital.

As he tried to push the smell of the sewers into the back of his mind, there was one thought in particular that helped with this. It wasn't a major help, but Sam was willing to take anything he could get in order to hate this trip just a little bit less.

 _It'll be fine,_ he told himself. _Lucas Snow, Andromeda Watson, Solanna Luzon, number four...I'm coming for you._

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 201X - 1:17 AM**

 **ROUTE 207, SINNOH**

 **LOW TEMPERATURE: 53 DEGREES**

It had been an exhausting two days on the road. Based on that, you would think that Lucas and co. would have an easier time getting to sleep at night.

You might think that, but you'd be wrong.

Every time he closed his eyes now, Lucas had the same dream he'd had last week, the night before he'd decided to begin this great journey.

The factory exploding. Being blown backwards. These were the two features that were always present in the dream.

The first time he'd had that dream, he figured that it was just a coincidence. Sometimes, he had bad dreams, dreams that felt a little too realistic. That wasn't uncommon at all; it happened to all human beings, and Pokemon as well. Even those who weren't fluent in the Pokemon language knew this, since the Pokemon could be hooked up to sleep monitors that could tell when they were having a bad dream.

The second time, it had seemed like it could still be just that. A coincidence. If something happened once, it was an anomaly. If something happened twice, it was a coincidence.

But what if something happened three times?

For it was the third time he had this dream that Lucas woke in the middle of the night, covered in a cold sweat and gasping for air. He sat up, clutching his chest as though he were having a heart attack.

 _I'm not having a heart attack, am I?,_ he wondered. _After all, I'm only thirteen. That would be ridiculous!_

After he was able to get control of his breathing once more, it became clear that Lucas was not having a heart attack. He managed to get out of bed, and his legs were somehow able to support his shaking body.

He walked out of the door to the room. Somehow, he was able to make his way into the cafeteria of the Pokemon center. (It operated 24/7, and so he was able to get pretty much whatever he wanted, _when_ ever he wanted).

Lucas had always been a lover of pastries. He selected a lemon bar to eat while he pondered things. Of course, he didn't tell the woman manning the bakery section at this ungodly hour that he was pondering his recurring nightmare. He didn't need her knowing about that.

As he took a fork and took a bite out of the custard, his mouth watered immediately. He'd had a lot of lemon bars in his life, they were one of his favorite desserts, but this might just have been one of the best. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that he'd just woken up after a nightmare, and he was able to have the relief of the real world once more.

 _What did that dream mean?,_ he asked himself as he was eating.

There was little chance that it was absolutely meaningless; after all, he'd had the same exact dream three times now. He'd heard of deja vu, but this was different from that.

He'd read enough fantasy novels to know that, if a dream kept recurring, it was extremely unlikely to have no meaning. He should probably have been paying heed to it, so that he could take action if the dream did indeed mean something.

But how could one prepare for something like the factory building exploding? He didn't even know if said factory was in Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or one of the other regions.

All Lucas did know was that the lemon bar was delicious. Looking outside, he saw the sign for Route 207, lit up by one of those streetlamps. They were the same shape as the ones near downtown Pastoria City.

They'd been walking almost nonstop, other than breakfast, dinner, and sleeping at Pokemon centers, for the last two days, ever since Solanna had joined their group. As a result, they had been getting quite close to their next destination, which was Oreburgh City.

Lucas tried to remember what he had learned about Oreburgh City during sixth-grade social studies. It was a mining town blessed with significant natural resources, particularly coal. The gym leader, Roark, would reward anyone who managed to defeat her Pokemon with the Coal Badge. Thanks to all of this, it was known as the "City of Energy", since its mines helped to power all of Sinnoh.

The group wasn't on this journey merely to collect all of the badges, however. They wanted to see the world, which they had decided to make involve touring the mines. Lucas, Andromeda, and Solanna had all agreed that, after they defeated Roark, they would go for a tour of the main mine of Oreburgh City.

This did make Lucas a little leery. He hated being underground; he preferred places where he could see the sky. One time, he and his family had gone skiing, and there had been a tram that cut straight through the mountain. Lucas hadn't liked it one bit, just because it was so dark on the other side.

Of course, this was one fear he'd have to overcome. He was sure that the tour guides would have taken all of the necessary safety precautions for them, but he was still nervous. What if they used drills there? Even the drills at the dentist's office were so loud that he'd had to be sedated in order to get dental work done when he was younger. If he was in a mine, he'd have to buy some high-quality headphones.

Lucas finished his lemon bar, put the plate in the recycling bin, and thanked the woman behind the counter. After that, he headed back to the room.

To his surprise, in waking up and heading towards the cafeteria, he had woken up Solanna. The girl still appeared groggy, but there was absolutely no doubt that she was awake. And, since it was still before two in the morning, this made Lucas feel very guilty indeed.

"Sorry - did I wake you?" Lucas asked frantically. He apologized for his actions probably more than was necessary, but he wanted to make sure that everything was cool between the two of them.

"Yes" Solanna replied. "But that's okay".

"It is?"

"I could tell that you were thrashing around in your sleep. You must have been having a nightmare. That was what woke me up; I saw you leave the room. Where did you go?"

"Oh, just to the cafeteria for a pastry" Lucas replied.

The brown-haired girl nodded. "I'm really thinking that we'll reach Oreburgh City by lunchtime. It's not that far from here. We'll train our Pokemon, and, tomorrow, we'll battle Roark".

"Thanks for the optimism" the boy said.

"You are very much welcome" Solanna replied. Then, looking directly at Lucas, she asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Lucas saw no reason to lie about it. "Yeah...I did".

The girl nodded. "What was it about, if you do not mind me asking?"

"It's fine" Lucas replied. "I keep having this dream that I'm on this hillside, and this factory building explodes in the distance, blasting me backwards. I've had it three times, including the last two nights in a row".

"I see" Solanna said.

Lucas didn't know why he was entrusting Solanna with this information. However, he did know that he was beginning to see her as more and more of a friend, someone that he _could_ trust. This meant the world to him - he hadn't had very many friends in elementary school.

"Does it mean anything?" he asked her, not expecting her to provide a straightforward answer. He knew that, when you were a thirteen-year-old autistic boy going on a journey for the first time, there were no easy answers.

"I don't know" she replied, staring at the ground. "I guess we should avoid factories...but do mines really count as factories? Because I really do want to see the one in Oreburgh City".

"Oh, we will do that tour" Lucas said. "I can promise you that. I'm quite looking forward to that".

The strange thing was, he was telling the truth, at least partly. What he didn't tell her was that the feeling was off and on. One minute, he was extremely excited. He'd get to see the conditions that those miners worked in every day, and have a great time taking a tour of the mines.

The next minute, he was terrified again. What if, when they were there, there was an explosion, or the tunnel collapsed in on them? Or, what if they were trapped in the mine somehow?

He didn't know, and he didn't want to find out the hard way.

Solanna held out her arms in order to hug Lucas. After the boy thought about it for a few seconds, he threw his arms around Solanna.

They stood like that for about a minute. Then, Solanna said, "I think we should go back to bed. We have kind of a big day tomorrow".

 _Indeed we do,_ Lucas thought, getting back into bed and pulling the covers over himself.

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 201X - 11:51 AM**

 **OREBURGH CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 81 DEGREES**

"This is the place" Andromeda said, looking absolutely amazed.

After walking for several hours, they had finally reached it. The second city on their map. Oreburgh City, the City of Energy.

The city appeared to be built on some kind of bronze, sandy rock. Whether this was the reason for or the result of all of the mining was anyone's guess. There was no denying, however, that it was quite unique, one of the coolest places Lucas had ever been to.

There were what appeared to be train tracks running over the outskirts of the city. Of course, these tracks were probably for mine carts; that would only make sense, given the city's industry.

"Wow" Andromeda said, wiping some of the sweat off of his brow. "We finally made it. This place is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah" Solanna replied. It was clear to see that she was excited to see the sights around the city. She also had a good amount of sweat on her forehead, although not as much as Andromeda.

It was a hotter day than the previous ones, but Lucas had learned his lesson. From here on out, he vowed that he would drink at least two bottles of water per day when he wasn't at a Pokemon center. He'd done more research on heat stroke when his party had had time to rest, and he'd learned just how much of a killer it was. Had Andromeda not gotten him medical help almost immediately, there was no telling what might have happened.

They let their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, and Orkun looked extremely excited, as did Vinaka and Aparri. Tai and Soko didn't look so excited.

 _This is Oreburgh City?,_ Vinaka asked her master.

"Yes, it is, Vinaka" Lucas replied.

 _There's so much coal here! Can't wait to burn it!_

"Uh...I don't know if you'll get to do that".

At that point, Lucas knew that Vinaka, as well as perhaps Aparri, would have to stay in their Pokeballs on a tour of the mines. They couldn't risk the Fire types creating havoc in there; that would only make the boy feel more apprehensive about the tour.

"Let's go get some lunch" said Solanna. "I don't know about the two of you, but I am starving".

The children began walking around, looking for a place to eat. This wasn't hard; they soon found a diner that the miners tended to frequent.

They entered and waited until there was a table for them. Thankfully, this didn't take long.

"I like this place" Solanna said. "It's just...I've always liked to experience the culture of all of the places my family has been to. I grew up in Saffron City, and I've been to several other cities in Kanto. The academy was the first place I ever went to in Sinnoh, though".

Almost immediately, there was a sudden rush at the door. Miners, many of whom were just getting off of their shift at work, came swarming into the place.

Well, not necessarily _swarming._ A great many of them waited at the doors, but there were also some that came in and immediately found tables.

"I've done some research" Lucas said, remembering something he'd read on the Internet. "Mine workers get priority service in restaurants here. I suppose that they do a lot of work to help the city, as well as the region, so it's understandable".

"I guess that we'll have to wait a while for our food, then" said Solanna. "Shame; I'm pretty hungry".

Just then, Lucas's stomach growled audibly, which got all of them to laugh.

Once the waiter came and took all three orders, they sat around the table, discussing things.

"After lunch, what do you guys want to do?" That was Andromeda asking the question.

"I want to see the museum" Solanna replied. "The mining museum, more specifically. I've heard that that's pretty awesome".

"I like that place" Andromeda said. "I've been there before. Have you, Lucas?"

Lucas took a sip of his root beer. "No" he replied. "I want to do that, though. Actually, let's set our itinerary now". He was always one to like to know what was going to happen, to know when it was time to do something specific. He liked to have a specific plan for the time they would be in Oreburgh City.

"Let's visit the museum, and then train our Pokemon" Solanna said. "Tomorrow morning, we'll battle Roark. After that, we'll take a tour of the mines, stay one more night, and leave the day after tomorrow".

"Sounds like a great idea" Lucas replied. Turning to Andromeda, he asked, "Does that sound like a plan to you?"

"Sure as hell does".

Even though there were a large number of miners in the restaurant, their food came faster than expected. Lucas, who normally ordered his burgers medium well, found that his was even better done than he expected, to the point that it was almost black.

"Oh, yeah, there's the thing" Andromeda said. "In Oreburgh City, they cook their meat _really_ well. So that it looks like coal, you know?"

Lucas chuckled. It really was quite amusing to him.

"Yeah" Solanna said, cutting into her steak. "That's true. This thing is almost burnt, but it's still pretty awesome".

The three of them finished eating and headed to the nearest Pokemon center in order to check into the room that they'd spend two nights in. Due to the fact that this was a mining town, the place was designed to look like a mine shaft.

Lucas didn't particularly like said design. It made things look dark, as though they were hundreds of feet underground, rather than on the surface. However, they didn't really feel like paying for a hotel, so this was what they were going to do.

They checked into the room, and Lucas decided that he was going to call his mother once more. She was no doubt wondering how things were going with him.

He dialled her number and pressed the call button, hoping that she would answer...

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Encounter (Level 9). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 5).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 7). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge (Level 10).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 13).**


	17. Do Not Hesitate

**I would like to thank everybody who's been supporting this story thus far. It's been a wild ride, and we still have quite a bit more to go. Right now I think it's 40-45 chapters long, this story.**

 **As for me, I'm just getting over my cold. I got sick a lot when I was little, but not so much anymore. It's nice that it's March now, and I won't have to worry quite as much about these things, most likely. The birthday of Dr. Seuss, one of my heroes, is also tomorrow, which is nice. Also, do not read the bottom author's note if you have not watched through the first double episode of _Survivor: Ghost Island._**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 201X - 1:03 PM**

 **OREBURGH CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 81 DEGREES**

"Hello? Who is this?" Aubry's voice asked from the other end.

"It's Lucas" the boy replied. "It's great to talk to you again".

Lucas could tell that his mother was very happy to be able to speak to her son once more. "Lucas! It's great to talk to you again as well. How is your journey going?"

"Very well, thank you. We beat Fantina in Hearthome City, and now we're in Oreburgh City. I also made a new friend".

"A new human, I hope?" Aubry replied. "I sure hope it's a human, because if it's not…".

"Don't worry, Mom, it is a human. Her name's Solanna, and she's awesome. Would you like to speak with her?"

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush - making lunch for Jason and your father. In fact, I'll have to go in just a minute. Just know that I deposited some more money in your account".

"Nice". Lucas hadn't been thinking too much about money lately; indeed, he'd only been concerned, really, about what was going to happen with Fantina and then Roark. There was no time to ponder his finances.

"Are you drinking plenty of water? You don't want to end up in the hospital again".

"Yeah, I'm doing fine in that regard. My friends really are holding me to it".

"As they should be. You'd better not abuse your body by pushing yourself too hard without hydrating yourself. Heat stroke's a hazard in the summer".

After Lucas assured Aubry that he was going to stay healthy and hydrated throughout the rest of the summer, he hung up. The longer you spent on the phone, the more you had to pay, which was why he'd been so quick to hang up. On the other hand, it wasn't as though his mother could have stayed very long, either, judging by what she'd said.

 _Jason. Your father._

Without even thinking, Lucas felt tears forming in his eyes. He knew that he couldn't cry here - that would make him look weak, very much so. At the same time, however…

He was able to swallow them back. He was stronger than this. He would keep going. He had to.

"Are you okay, Lucas?" Solanna asked. "You look...sad".

"I'm fine, Solanna" he replied. "It's going to be fine. I just needed some time to think, but now I'm all better".

"That's good news" Andromeda replied. "Especially considering that we wanted to see the museum. Are you still up for that?"

Lucas smiled. "You bet I am".

They left the Pokemon center and headed into town. It was a fairly short walk from here, as Oreburgh City wasn't that large, and they were already quite close to it.

It was about 1:20 in the afternoon when they arrived at the museum. After waiting in a short line and paying the $8 for admission (since they were trainers, they legally counted as students, something that Lucas didn't understand, nor did he complain about), they were granted access into the main hall of the museum.

The entry way held what appeared to be a mine cart, one that would have been used in the mine.

"That's pretty cool" Solanna said. "I can imagine that the mine cart would be pretty heavy, since it has all of that rust on it. Isn't rust fairly heavy?"

Both boys nodded, although Lucas didn't remember much from sixth grade science. If he'd been told about how rust was heavy, he didn't recall very much of it. He supposed that it wasn't a huge deal; however, he was still a little sad that he'd given up his education in order to become a trainer.

 _Don't be,_ he told himself. _This life is going to be way more fun and exciting than anything you would have done if you'd stayed in school. Try to enjoy it!_

There was something else in the museum that they hadn't noticed at first. It was right in front of the information desk, and Lucas didn't really understand how they had so easily missed it. It was the greatest attraction in the entire museum, which was surprising, considering how completely and totally unceremonious it was.

A huge slab of coal. That was the main exhibit in the entrance hall.

"That's pretty cool, that they hauled it in here from the mines" Andromeda said. "That must have taken some serious strength".

"Or serious technology" Solanna replied. "Don't forget, this city has lots of really cool technology that they use in order to get the coal out, like carbon capturing".

"I see" Andromeda replied. "Well, let's see what the display says about coal".

Next to the huge slab of coal, which was encased in a glass rectangular prism, there was a plaque. This plaque read the following.

 _"_ _In a time long before history, vegetative matter was swept along by rain and rivers. It came to be buried under the ground. The buried plant matter was forced ever deeper under the ground due to tremors and fissures caused by the shifting landmasses. Deep under the ground, the plant matter was subjected to heavy pressure and the heat of magma. It gradually turned into coal._

"So that's how it all happened" Lucas said. "Pretty awesome, if you ask me". He'd never been the most interested in the sciences, and, as a result, hadn't done very well in science class at school. However, this huge hunk of coal intrigued him. This was how much of Sinnoh was powered, and, if you asked him, that was pretty amazing.

The trio explored some more of the museum, It wasn't a huge museum; indeed, there were only a few displays of coal from various regions. There were also a few helmets that real miners had used in the past.

"It says here", Lucas said, "that the helmets of today have much more protection and insulation than older helmets. There's an example of one that they use today - that looks amazing. No wonder that they're now standard issue for all of Orebugh City's coal miners".

As Lucas saw more and more of the museum, including some photographs of mining conditions, he grew a greater and greater appreciation for all of the workers who helped to power everything. It wasn't an easy job; that much was clear to him. But he was glad that they did it.

He could only assume that said appreciation would grow tomorrow, when they went on a tour of the mines. He'd get to see more of what they did every single day.

After they had seen everything that there was to see in the museum, they exited the door, and stood together in order to discuss their plans for the rest of the day.

"Well", Solanna said, "I still think that it's a great idea to head to the battling courts in order to train our Pokemon. Roark might be more difficult than Fantina was; I've heard that the gym leaders see what badges you have, and, depending on that, they will either go easy on you or not. I will admit that I have no way to confirm that".

"Indeed, you don't" Andromeda replied. "But that does sound reasonable. Yeah, I think that we're going to have to train well in order to beat Roark".

With that, the trio began walking towards the public battling courts. You could reserve them for an hour at a time, and there were four different courts inside the air-conditioned building. Lucas was very glad that the place did have air conditioning; the museum had not had it.

"Okay" Lucas said. He decided that he was going to call the shots here, so he said, "Let's have Aparri battle Orkun. Does that sound like a good idea to everybody else here?"

"Yep" Andromeda replied. "I think Tai and Soko are going to be happy to sit this one out, don't you think?"

"I don't know" Solanna said. "I guess that we'll just have to see what happens".

Lucas let Orkun out of his Pokeball, and Solanna let Aparri out of his. "I challenge you to a battle, Solanna Luzon!"

The girl smiled, slightly smugly, but not in a way that looked arrogant or anything. Somehow, she was able to strike that perfect balance. "Challenge accepted, Lucas Snow!"

"Orkun! Use Aura Sphere!" Lucas exclaimed.

The Lucario leaned forwards and began forming a blue sphere in his paw. First, it was the size of a grapefruit, then a large cantaloupe. Orkun fired the Aura Sphere at the Charmander, who was able to dodge, getting out of the way just in time.

"Nice dodge, Aparri!" Solanna exclaimed. "Use Scratch!"

Aparri used Scratch, and then Lucas immediately realized something. He'd made a big mistake in this battle.

"What's wrong, Lucas?" the girl asked him. "Scared you might lose?"

"No" the boy replied. He decided not to tell her that Orkun, as a Steel type, was allergic to Fire type moves. If he was hit with them, the Lucario could get seriously hurt. "Orkun, you've got to keep going. Aura Sphere as much as you can!"

It was clear to see that Orkun was beginning to tire out, and that he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. However, Lucas wasn't just going to let the Lucario back into his Pokeball - he'd be conceding otherwise.

Vinaka, Soko, and Tai watched from the sidelines as Aparri attempted Ember. The flames flew through the air, and...were they _homing in on Orkun?_

"Look out Orkun!" Lucas yelled, not even pausing for breath, hence why it does not need to be written with a comma. "It's coming for you!"

 _No need to worry, boss,_ the Lucario replied, running at an insane speed away from the flame, which still kept pursuing him.

There was still no telling what was going on; the flame _would not stop_ homing in on Orkun. If something didn't change, the Lucario was going to get tired soon, and was about to be hit by the flame.

And then Orkun began running while forming an Aura Sphere. Aiming it at the flame, he was able to blast away the flame.

"Can we stop now?" Lucas asked Solanna.

"Only if you're conceding, otherwise we're going to have to keep going".

It pained Lucas to say those words. "Okay...I concede. You win. But I have something important to tell you; that's why I'm conceding".

"What is that?" Solanna replied. "If you're ending the match, you had better be doing it for a good reason. The Pokemon need time to train".

"I promise" the boy said. "Solanna...the fireball was homing in on Orkun. Is that something that's normal?"

"I mean", the girl replied, "Aparri is only Level 13. I'm pretty sure that that's a skill they're only supposed to have after Level 40, if my education at the academy taught me anything".

"I see" Lucas replied, scratching his chin. "Well, we should probably let some of the other Pokemon practice. How does that sound?"

After the other two nodded, the three trainers stood at the edge of the gymnasium, watching Tai battle Vinaka, Soko battle Aparri, and so on. After an hour, they checked their Pokemon using their PokeDexes, only to find out that each of their Pokemon had gained a level!

"Sweet!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Soko can now use Baby-Doll Eyes! That's pretty awesome!"

Indeed it was, and the trio of trainers decided to go out for drinks to celebrate at the local bar. They couldn't buy alcoholic drinks, since they were all underage, but they could get seltzer water with splashes of cranberry juice, which rather resembled wine in some cases.

"I think that we'll do very well tomorrow, very well indeed" said Andromeda. "We'll beat Roark and get Coal Badges for the effort. It's going to be awesome!"

"What's the protocol for when there are three trainers taking on a gym leader at once?" Lucas asked. He wasn't completely sure on this, just because he was relatively new to this whole _battling_ business. When he and Andromeda had battled Fantina in Hearthome City, they'd acted as one team. They'd taken on one of her Pokemon at a time, and they'd been able to defeat all three of her Pokemon, while only losing one of their own.

"I think she does triple battles" Andromeda replied. "She'll line us up in a row, and we'll play it like that. I think it'll be quite fun".

Lucas didn't know if that would increase or decrease their chances of defeating Roark, but it sounded enjoyable to him.

"Well, let's get some dinner soon" Solanna said. "We should probably head to bed fairly early tonight".

That sounded like a good idea to Lucas. "All right" he replied. "Andromeda, you cool with that?"

After the older boy nodded, they left the bar and headed back to the Pokemon center, where they had decided that they would spend some time before finding a good place to have dinner.

* * *

Sam Scott stood on a hill overlooking Oreburgh City.

He supposed that it wasn't really a hill; it was more of a cliff, in a way, since the drop was far more sheer than it would be if it could be called a hill.

This cliff was made of a rock the color of peanut butter, with a fine layer of sand. Right now, he was standing high above the mines.

He took a note out of his backpack, just so that he could remember the names of the kids he was supposed to be tracking. He didn't know where he'd be without it; he didn't have the best memory, so he really didn't understand why he had been the one chosen for this job. Of course, he supposed that there were other reasons as well, but he was still quite confused.

 _Lucas Snow...Andromeda Watson...Solanna Luzon...and that mysterious boy whose name we don't know yet. Where could they be?_

He shook his head. He didn't particularly like to be thinking about this at the moment. It was late afternoon at this point, and he'd spent most of the day walking after having taken a train down to Route 208. Indeed, he'd been jogging most of it. At this point, he was very hungry and extremely thirsty.

This cliff of sorts was several hundred feet high, and the whole of Oreburgh City spread out below him. Since most of the buildings were pretty short, and there were none over ten stories, so as to comply with the city's building codes, which mandated this.

As the major cities of Sinnoh went, Oreburgh was one of the smallest. In fact, Sam believed that it was second only to Snowpoint City in that regard, with a population, according to the most recent census data, of 36,496. He was pretty sure that Jubilife City, population well over a million, was number one.

Owing to its size, Oreburgh City felt more like a community than anywhere else Sam had lived. He'd grown up near Eterna City, at the edge of the large, dense, dangerous forest known as Eterna Forest. That was part of the reason he'd signed up for Team Rocket at the age of seventeen; he'd figured that he'd be useful there.

Anyway...the mission. Sam read more of the paper that he had been given, which reminded him to radio the base whenever he had any updates for them.

 _Well...I've reached the City of Energy. I think now might be the time to give them an update._

On the paper was the phone number for Charlie's Angels. If he dialled that number, he'd be connected almost immediately with Charlie himself. They'd be able to speak about the mission, and Sam would know if anything had changed on his end.

Sam picked up the phone he had been provided and dialled the number. After two rings, Charlie said, "Hello? This is Samuel Scott?"

"Yes, it is me" the young man replied.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Scott. Not that I'm not pleased to talk to you, but is there any particular reason you wanted to call?"

"In fact, there is, Charlie" Sam said. "I've reached Oreburgh City at last. Thanks for giving me a sleeping bag - it'll be nice to be able to sleep outdoors. Even though the air quality isn't the best".

"Oh, it's still pretty good, though" Charlie replied. "They have vents that exchange the stale air from the mines with the clean air outside. They make sure to do this all the time. Otherwise nobody who could afford to move would live here".

"Good point".

"I have intel", Charlie continued, "that the three children are going to go on a tour of the mines tomorrow afternoon. That's from my other agent, Troy. You know Troy, right?"

Sam had an image in his head of Troy. He was a man in his fifties, with gray hair tied back in a ponytail and a beard. Decades of physical training had kept him in good enough shape to remain a Team Rocket grunt.

"I do know Troy" Sam replied. "But...the kids are going to the mines?"

"Yep. The tour is at two. If you are there at that time, you can go with them. That's a great chance to capture them, right after the tour. Just make sure you disguise yourself".

Sam didn't know how better he could disguise himself than just wearing civilian clothes. He hadn't bought a Team Rocket jumpsuit with him, for obvious reasons. Even though Charlie couldn't see him do so, he nodded in response. "I will do that".

"Very well, then" Charlie replied. "I hope that, this time tomorrow, the three children will be in your custody. In the kit we brought you, we have some chloroform and towels. That's what you will use to knock them out and bring them here".

 _Okay,_ he reminded himself. _Chloroform._

"That can knock them out for roughly fifteen hours. It won't be easy to carry them all out, but Troy has his van. You know him - he's pretty strong. You still listening?"

"Yeah, I am" Sam replied.

The more he thought about it, the harder this mission sounded to him. It was going to be extremely difficult to catch these children.

"Well, I'll talk to you later" Charlie said. "Catch them and bring them back to the base. There are experiments that we want to have done on them".

"There are?"

"Yes. This is why this mission is vitally important. We want them _alive_ , and preferably unharmed. However…".

"What?" Sam asked.

"If you need to harm them in order to capture them, _do not hesitate"._

* * *

 **I was going to name the chapter "City of Energy" first, since this was kind of a transition chapter, and not my favorite one to write. However, I realized that it would sound pretty cool if I titled it after the last three words of the chapter. So that's what I did.**

 **Also, I wasn't able to write as much last night due to the premiere of _Survivor: Ghost Island._ I still don't have my Malolo and Naviti buffs yet, which is a shame, but I think I'll be getting them soon. Jacob was an absolute idiot! This is going to be a great season, though.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Encounter (Level 10). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip (Level 6).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 8). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 11).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 14).**


	18. Triple Battle

**I am very pleased to post the longest chapter yet. It's not the longest one by too much, but it still feels special for me, especially since I've struggled to write long chapters lately.**

 **This chapter will contain the second gym battle, out of the five that I have planned for this story. I hope that you enjoy my take on a Triple Battle.**

 **Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review!**

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 201X - 5:47 PM**

 **OREBURGH CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 81 DEGREES**

The three trainers sat in a booth at a restaurant. It wasn't the same one they'd been to for lunch; that diner was now extremely crowded, and, besides, they wanted to experience as much of the City of Energy as possible.

"All right. Roark tomorrow. I hope his first name's not Zo" Lucas said.

Andromeda and Solanna both gave Lucas a funny look. They didn't realize his joke at first. Then, they started cracking up.

"Yeah" Solanna said. "If so, he must have had a rough childhood".

They all laughed, which was why, when the waiter came around to give them their drinks, they were all given some very strange looks by said waiter. However, they did all get their drinks, and, while the conversation slowed down slightly, it did not cease.

"He does triple battles, so this is going to be really fun!" Solanna squealed, almost like a pig. It was clear to tell that the girl was very excited.

They sat around, and Lucas took sips of his root beer. That was his favorite beverage, and he didn't care if it was bad for him. The way things were going, he walked quite a good number of miles every day, so, with a 13-year-old's metabolism, he was going to be fine. Besides, he spent a lot of time brushing his teeth, so it wouldn't really be an issue.

"But, Lucas...can I ask you a question?" Solanna said eventually, as they were eating the bread rolls that the waiter had given them.

"What is it?" the younger boy asked.

"What's this Asperger's syndrome thing that was mentioned? I feel like I don't totally understand it. Would you mind telling me what you know about it?"

Lucas was slightly taken aback by the question; he hadn't expected it. Whatever Solanna had been about to ask him, he'd have bet money that it wasn't going to be _that._ He supposed he was wrong.

"Well…" he said. He had a really hard time describing it, mainly because he'd never, ever, been non-autistic in his life. As a result, he couldn't compare it to anything else that he, or anyone else for that matter, had ever experienced.

"Are you sure you want to explain it?" Andromeda asked Lucas. "You don't have to if you don't want to".

"But I do want to" the younger boy replied. Eventually, he said, "Well, it means, at least for me, that I'm very interested in specific topics. If you're going to ask me about something I'm not interested in, and expect me to have a conversation about it for an extended period of time, I will have little patience for it".

"I see" Solanna replied.

"I'm also not the best at social interactions, partly for this reason, but I've gotten better at it over the years. I have seen a lot of therapists about this".

"I never knew all of those things" the girl said. "That's kind of interesting".

The trio talked about various other things while they waited for their food to arrive. Lucas was nervous about tomorrow's gym battle, but not nearly as much so as he had been for the battle against Fantina in Hearthome City. He now knew some of what to expect, which, for a person like him, meant a lot.

Their food came, and the conversation ground to a halt as the three of them started eating. This restaurant did not appear to have been designed with a mining motif in mind, which, in Lucas's opinion, was a plus. He was already nervous enough for the tour that they were going to go on tomorrow.

"I'm loving this" Andromeda said eventually. "Getting to travel Sinnoh with you guys...it's just such a great opportunity, you know?"  
Solanna and Lucas nodded. All that the younger boy could think of, however, were two things: Tomorrow's battle, and tomorrow's mine tour. Nothing else mattered until he had gotten through both of those events, and then they had left Oreburgh City. Because, the more the boy thought about it, the more he disliked this place.

It had nothing to do with the people here, or the gym leader, or anything of the sort. From what Lucas had seen, the people of Oreburgh City were very kind, and would have given you the clothes off of their back if they had thought it would help you. That wasn't the issue.

No, what Lucas didn't like about Oreburgh City was the general atmosphere. Everything seemed so industrial, so artificial. That wasn't something that he liked one bit, and he was very glad that they wouldn't be staying too long here. He could only imagine what it must have been like for those who lived here year-round, although he guessed that they had probably gotten used to it.

They finished eating and paid for their food, and then headed back to the Pokemon center they'd checked into earlier. Lucas made sure that each Pokeball had its proper sticker on it before taking his shower.

 _Orkun...Vinaka...Tai...Soko...Aparri...yep, that's all of them. I ought to go to bed now, because I'll need all the sleep I can get before I do battle against Roark._

That was what he thought, but, when he finally made it to bed, he was quite jittery. Thankfully, he didn't have to share a bed with anyone here, and that was a good thing, because, had it been that way, he would have shaken so much that it would have been absolutely impossible for whoever was sharing the bed with him to get any sleep whatsoever.

 _Did someone spike my root beer with coffee?_ , he wondered.

It couldn't have been that. No, it had to have been pre-battle jitters...but he wasn't even that nervous. Was something seriously wrong with him? Did he have to go back to the dreaded hospital?

 _No. Not the hospital. I hate hospitals. I must be fine. I HAVE to be fine. I can't let the other two down._

He didn't have epilepsy or anything like that. He did have a tendency to rock or swing his legs when he was sitting down, but now he was lying down, and trying to get to sleep.

Lucas tossed and turned for what felt like hours, but was probably no more than twenty to thirty minutes. It didn't help that the very design of the Pokemon center made him feel rather claustrophobic.

However, he did eventually manage to get to sleep. However, when he did that, he sank into a nightmare.

* * *

He was standing in what looked like a mine shaft. He'd just gotten out of an elevator, and all around him was darkness, rocks, and dark rocks.

Lucas ran down the corridor, but he found that there was no way out through that way. He went back to the elevator, and found that it was out of order.

 _Great. Guess I'm trapped here,_ he thought.

It's worth noting that this dream was not a lucid one. Lucas wasn't aware that he was dreaming; he thought that he was really in the middle of the mine. Had he been aware that this was just a fantasy that had been created by his mind in order to torment him while he slept, he would perhaps not have been so terrified.

 _I hate this. Hate, hate, hate it._

All he wanted was to go back home. Home, where his life would be so predictable, yet he'd be completely safe. At least, safe from horrors like this, where he was trapped at the bottom of a mine shaft with no way out.

 _Might as well look for a different elevator,_ he decided, deciding to crawl into the hole he found nearby. That way, he would perhaps be able to get somewhere else within the mine.

Yes, it might only end up in him being put in further danger, but at least he'd be doing something in an attempt to get out. Something was a hell of a lot better than nothing at this point.

The hole was barely big enough for him. It was probably about twice the diameter of his head, circular in shape. It would be extraordinarily difficult to crawl through it, but, at this point, what choice did he have?

With a deep breath, Lucas put himself into a lying position, as though he were about to attempt a push-up, and then crawled into the hole.

It wasn't easy to do so. Several times, he had to make a turn at a fork in the pathway, and he always chose randomly when he had such an option. The tunnel sloped gradually upwards, something that Lucas was grateful for. Perhaps it would lead back out into sunlight...or would it? It was anybody's guess, really.

Eventually, he saw it. There was a light at the end of this tunnel. It wasn't all that bright, but Lucas would take anything he could get.

He reached into the light…

...and woke up in the same place that he'd been when he'd first gone to sleep. Namely, his bed.

"Whoa, dude, you okay?" a girl's voice asked. He looked around and saw that the girl was Solanna Luzon, whom he had met just a few days ago. She was standing next to Andromeda Watson, whom he had known for a week. Lucas reminded himself of these things as he was looking around the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he replied, desperately trying to convince himself that this was the truth.

In actuality, he wasn't sure if this was the case. Even if he wasn't having seizures, his nightmares were happening almost every night now. He didn't know if there would ever be any relief, but he had to keep moving onwards on this journey. Only by distracting himself during his waking hours would he be able to stop worrying about what would happen when he closed his eyes.

"Okay" Andromeda said. "I'm glad that you are okay. I think that we ought to eat a quick breakfast, then head to the gym in order to do battle against Roark. Does that sound good?"  
 _Since when are you the leader of the group?,_ Lucas wanted to ask, but he didn't say it. He knew that it would ultimately most likely lead to more harm than good, and he really didn't want to make the party less cohesive than it already was. If they were going to become the champions, they couldn't afford that.

Both of the others nodded, and they went to the Pokemon center's cafeteria in order to eat. All of them ordered pancakes this time, but Lucas didn't feel like eating.

"Are you sure you're all right, Lucas?" Solanna asked the younger boy. She noticed that he was feeding Vinaka some pieces of his strawberry pancakes, which would seem to imply that he didn't want to eat them himself.

"Yes, I am okay" he replied. But was he really?

Andromeda was also feeding some of his plain pancakes to Tai and Soko, while Solanna was eating all of her chocolate chip pancakes, not wanting to share any with Aparri. Clearly, she figured that she'd need all of the energy she could get.

Eventually, all of them finished eating. After that, they left their bags in the room, and each trainer carried their Pokemon's Pokeballs to the arena.

It was roughly a mile from the Pokemon center to the gym. When they got there, it was very clear to see how it had been designed.

Like almost everywhere else in Oreburgh City, the gym's design had a mining motif to it. The symbol for Oreburgh City, a mine cart with a large slab of coal inside it, was engraved atop the doorway. Mining picks were also present, either painted on or attached to the sides of the building. Overall, the place was pleasing enough to the eyes, even if Lucas was a little sick of the mining theme.

The trio headed inside and went over to the sign-up sheet.

Unlike Fantina, who had only offered three slots a day, Roark offered four slots a day. These were at eight in the morning, ten in the morning, two in the afternoon, and four in the afternoon. Occasionally, gym leaders would overrun their time if a battle took _really_ long. But that was rare.

"Let's sign up for his ten o'clock spot" Solanna said. "I can't believe this. I'm about to get my first badge!"

"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched" Andromeda replied. "Remember, you still need to beat his Pokemon. Because it'll be a triple battle; that's the way Roark does things".

Lucas looked at the clock. By this time, it was 9:23 AM; it wouldn't be too much longer until it was time for the battle, but he knew that, when he was excited for something, time would seem to slow down. That was just the way things went in Lucasland.

The three of them made small talk for a while, but none of them seemed very invested in the conversation.

Between the three of them, Lucas was able to tell that Solanna seemed the most nervous. He wanted to do something to console her, anything, but he didn't know what would work, other than trying to remind her that she was well trained for this, having spent the last year practicing at the academy.

"Can we visit the academy sometime?" he asked her eventually.

"I suppose that that might be an option" Solanna replied. "Like I've said, graduates are able to come back and visit at any time. They even have special guest rooms, but I could show you my old dormitory".

That sounded great to both boys. Lucas pondered that during the last few minutes before Roark came to the door, announcing that it was time for his ten o'clock battle.

The three trainers walked into the room, and each took out their Pokeballs.

"Which types of Pokemon do you have?" Roark asked them. "I need to know where I'm going to put mine".

"I have a Lucario and a Vulpix" Lucas replied.

"Turtwig and Shinx for me" Andromeda said.

"And I've just got a Charmander" Solanna told him.

"All right, then" Roark replied. "Don't expect that this is going to be easy for you guys. I'm not going to go easy on you, so just know that if you manage to beat me, you will definitely have earned it".

Those words had two different effects on Lucas. For one, he was encouraged, because he liked the thought of having earned the victory. On the other hand, he was also nervous, because, if Roark wasn't going to go easy on them, he had a feeling that a win in Oreburgh City wouldn't come easily.

 _So what?,_ he reminded himself. _Few things worth doing are easy._

"Here's how it's going to work" the gym leader said. "Geodude will fight your Lucario, Onix will fight your Shinx, and Cranidos will fight your Charmander. These are the only three Pokemon I have, so if you can defeat mine, you will win the battle. However, each of you can only use your own Pokemon".

"Sounds like a plan" Andromeda replied. "I'm ready to get this show on the road. How about you guys?"

Lucas pumped his fist in the air. He was ready for this. It was going to be awesome.

* * *

"Orkun! Use Aura Sphere!"

Lucas had grown used to saying that by now. Sometimes he did wish for a little variety, but he figured that spamming Aura Sphere would be the best strategy for his Lucario.

After Orkun launched an Aura Sphere, and Geodude was able to dodge it, the latter countered with Rock Throw. The Lucario was barely able to dodge it.

At first, things were going well enough. From what Lucas could tell, Soko was holding his own against Onix, and Aparri was actually able to land a couple of hits on Cranidos. However, that didn't necessarily mean anything. Their Pokemon weren't going to hold up forever, and he knew that calling it quits at the right time might be a good idea.

Meanwhile, Soko was using Charge. Andromeda was clearly trying to save up for one large attack, one that would hopefully cripple Onix. Lucas was skeptical that it would work, but he was hoping that something would crack. Right now, the Shinx was being forced to dodge a lot of attacks, and it could only keep doing that for so long before it got tired.

 _I hope that's not anytime soon,_ Lucas thought to himself.

Aparri's battle against Cranidos was going well. The flames were attaching themselves to the Head Butt Pokemon a decent deal, and it was clear to see that they were doing some damage.

"Lucas! Be more careful!" Solanna shrieked.

The thirteen-year-old trainer slapped himself in the face. He had been so engrossed in the other fights going on that he hadn't noticed that Orkun was starting to flag. It wasn't very visible at first, but, now that he thought about it, it was very clear to see that the Lucario was tiring out. His jumps to dodge the Rock Throws were a little less graceful now. How long until he failed to do so, and the rock struck him in the head or something like that?

Evidently, not very long at all. Before Lucas could have said, "I'm trying!", Orkun was struck in the head by a rock. It knocked the Lucario unconscious, and he collapsed to the floor of the gym.

"Orkun is unable to battle!" the referee announced.

"Okay, then" Lucas said. "Vinaka, it's your turn!"

The young boy didn't like the thought of putting in Vinaka in place of Orkun. Of course, he didn't really have a choice, but that didn't change a thing. The fundamental thing was that he was not confident in Vinaka's battling abilities. Not one bit. So he could be forgiven for feeling this way...couldn't he?

Nearby, Andromeda's Shinx landed a decent blow on Onix that led to him being down for a few seconds. Unfortunately, it wasn't the count of ten that was necessary to call a battle, but the trend was definitely in favor of the trio.

"Lucas!" Andromeda exclaimed. "How many times do we have to tell you? Stop paying attention to the other battles, and keep track of your own Pokemon! We can handle ourselves!"

After another self-inflicted slap to the face, Lucas continued to watch Vinaka try to defeat Geodude.

"Vinaka! Use Tail Whip!" It wasn't the strongest move in existence, but it was the strongest one that she had.

And Lucas started feeling a sense of urgency. If Vinaka fell to Geodude, the battle would be over, and it would be his fault that they had lost. If Soko went down against Onix, then there was still Tai to take over, but Vinaka was Lucas's last Pokemon. He really didn't want to let his team down.

After a few more tail whips of Vinaka's, Geodude fell again. However, he didn't stay down for ten seconds. He didn't even stay down for five seconds. Soon enough, Geodude was back up, and Vinaka started its attacks again.

There was good news, however. Soon, Cranidos collapsed. The referee counted up from one...reached ten...and Cranidos still hadn't gotten up.

"Cranidos is unable to battle!"

Solanna jumped up in the air like a cheerleader at a school football game, but the battle wasn't over yet. She turned her attention to the two boys, who were still locked in combat with the gym leader's Pokemon.

It wasn't long before Vinaka started getting tired. Lucas wished he'd brought some type of berry with him in order to heal his Pokemon during battles...but it was no big deal; he'd remind himself to do so later. Right now, the important thing was that they got through this battle, and he'd bring them next time.

"Vinaka! Use Ember!"

As it turned out, that was all it took. Geodude fell to the ground and did not get up again.

"Geodude is unable to battle!"

Lucas was hit with a wave of relief. If his team lost now, it wouldn't be his fault...it would be Andromeda's.

Speaking of which, Soko, in spite of his best attempts to defeat Onix, was eventually brought down by a Rock Throw. It took him more than ten seconds to get back up, meaning that…

"Soko is unable to battle!"

So this was what it came down to: A one-on-one showdown between Tai and Onix. The winner would take it home for their team. The loser...well, neither side wanted to contemplate the idea of losing.

"Tai! Use Tackle!"

It took one Tackle for Onix to go down, but not for long. Before the referee had reached the number four, Onix was back up and using another Rock Throw.

The Turtwig started running awkwardly around the room, but it became clear that Onix wasn't going to be able to pursue him forever. Onix could only continue throwing rocks at Tai, hoping that one of them would be able to knock him out.

Soon enough, however, Tai was able to hit Onix with a Tackle that brought him to the ground. It didn't take long before the Turtwig the winner.

"Onix is unable to battle! Tai the Turtwig is the winner, which means that the victory goes to Lucas Snow of Gardenia Town, Andromeda Watson of Sunyshore City, and Solanna Luzon of Saffron City!"

Those were some of the best words Lucas had ever heard. It felt so good to have just won the battle.

* * *

The three trainers sat in a restaurant downtown, eating lunch. They'd gone here in order to celebrate winning the battle.

"Well...that was fun" Solanna said. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting my first gym battle to be so thrilling".

"Glad you enjoyed it" Lucas replied. "Sorry that I was distracted. Was it so wrong to care about you guys as well?"

He didn't know what he expected the others to say in response. Quite honestly, he didn't care; all he wanted was to think about how awesome it was that he now had the Coal Badge.

Speaking of the Coal Badge, Lucas opened his backpack in order to get a good look at it. When he saw it, he couldn't help but gag slightly on his burger.

Most of the badge was brown, Lucas's least favorite color. Baby blue lines ringed the outside, shaped like a treasure chest, and the inside, creating a hexagonal shape on the inside. It wasn't the prettiest badge, but the badge itself didn't matter so much as what it represented.

"What's next for us?" Solanna asked Andromeda. "Do you have the map here, or would we have to go back in order to see it?"

"The placemats have maps of Sinnoh on them" replied Andromeda. "Let's see...how does Jubilife City next sound, followed by the Eterna Forest eventually? Work our way up to Snowpoint City eventually, then head down?"

"We'll see the academy at some point" the girl replied. "On that I insist".

"Oh, we will be able to do that" Lucas assured her. "Right, Andromeda?"

"Huh? Oh, definitely" the older boy replied. "We should definitely be able to get that in at some point".

"Right now, let's focus on where we are" Solanna said. "At two, we have our tour of the mines. That's going to be a lot of fun".

Lucas gulped.

He hadn't told the others about the nightmare he had had, the one about being stuck at the bottom of a mine. He decided not to mention it; he didn't want to drag the others down.

Somehow, however, he got the feeling that it wasn't going to be as fun as Solanna thought it was going to be.

* * *

 **I've never been on a tour of a mine before, and I don't particularly want to do it. Actually, it might be kind of cool, but I'm not that interested in mining anyway.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15).**


	19. Oreburgh Mine Shaft

**Yes...the long-awaited mine tour! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. This was a fun chapter to write, I must say.**

 **After I put this up, I'll watch the Texas primary results come in. I'm also about to hit 50 reviews, which is nice.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 201X - 1:25 PM**

 **OREBURGH CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 84 DEGREES**

"I think that you guys deserve a rest today" Lucas said to the Pokemon once they were back in their room at the Pokemon center.

 _Thanks, boss,_ Orkun replied. _That's going to feel really good._

Indeed it would, but that wasn't the only thing the younger boy was thinking about.

He knew what was going to come after lunch. He'd known all day, and yet he'd been trying to avoid that reality. During the battle with Roark, he'd tried to distract himself by focusing on, or at least _trying_ to focus on, his Pokemon, as well as the gym leader's Pokemon.

Now that he had earned the Coal Badge, now that he no longer had to challenge Roark for the rest of his life, he was stuck thinking about the mine tour yet again. Ever since the dream he'd had last night, in which he was trapped at the bottom of the mine, he'd been quite scared at the thought.

However, he did not want to let Solanna and Andromeda know about his dream. It was perhaps a little too selfless of him, but he just didn't want to ruin the tour for the others. And so he kept his mouth shut about that.

"We should probably get going right about now" Andromeda said, once he'd made sure that Soko and Tai were safely in their Pokeballs. "After all, they say that you should arrive at the entrance to the mine pretty early, since they need to fit you for all of the safety gear".

"What kind of safety gear are we talking about?" Lucas asked. He didn't like wearing certain types of clothes, especially if they were itchy or too loose or tight. He was fine with wearing a harness and helmet, but anything else might have been a little crazy.

"I don't really know" Andromeda replied. "Whatever it is, I hope that it protects us from what might be down there. Because, from what I've heard, mining is a pretty dangerous job".

They left the Pokemon center and decided that they would hail a taxi in order to get to the mine entrance faster, just so that they had plenty of time once they were there, and would be prepared for the tour.

Once they arrived at the tour location, they saw the prices for the tour. Adults paid the most, followed by teenagers. Children, the elderly, and trainers paid the least.

Since all three people in the group were trainers, they were all able to pay the lowest fee, something Lucas was grateful for. Being a trainer offered many benefits, such as better service at restaurants, or less expensive service on tours. Being a trainer was considered quite a respectable profession, as respectable as being a doctor or lawyer.

"I could get used to this life" Solanna said as they sat down in the waiting room. "It only costs us five dollars each to take this tour".

"I know" Andromeda replied. "This is going to be quite fun".

Once two o'clock came, the tour guide entered the room. He was a broad-shouldered, tall young man wearing a hard hat and a red jacket. Indeed, he looked almost as though he could have been a future version of Lucas, since he had the same color of hair and eyes.

"All right! This tour will have...seven people. Lucas Snow, Andromeda Watson, Solanna Luzon…". He said the names of the other four people in the tour, who all appeared to be on the tour together. After that, the tour guide said, "Okay! Each of you should put on a hard hat and jacket. We've got all different sizes, and it's up to you to find the one that fits you the best. It's important that you find the right sizes".

Lucas didn't want to ask why it was important. Anything that would remind him how possibly dangerous this tour was going to be, he didn't want to hear it. All he really wanted to do was get this thing over with.

Nevertheless, he found the proper size of hard hat and jacket. Solanna and Andromeda appeared to have done the same, and so had the family that was touring with them. It was made up of a couple and two young girls, probably a couple of years younger than Lucas. It was hard to tell if they were twins or not, but he hazarded a guess that they were.

"All right" the tour guide said. "Let me show you the way to the elevator. It will take us into the mines, to a depth of roughly six hundred feet below Oreburgh City. Once you step into the elevator, you will not see sunlight again until the end of this tour. If you want to back out, now's the time".

Every muscle in Lucas's body was telling him to back out. He _really_ didn't want to do this; it was so nerve-wracking for him that he was worried he might faint if he went down there.

 _No,_ he thought to himself. _I am better than this._

They walked down the hallway into an elevator. Unlike most elevators that Lucas had ever been in, this one looked fairly shabby, as though it had not been in use for some time. Of course, he knew that this wasn't the case.

After the tour guide pressed a button, the door to the elevator closed, and the elevator lurched downwards.

It wasn't fast, as elevators go. At the speed it was going, however, this made things even worse. Lucas wished that it would have just gone to the bottom lickedy-split, without holding anything back. This way, he couldn't help but whimper a slight amount.

Luckily, he didn't think anyone else noticed.

After nearly five minutes, the elevator reached the bottom of the shaft. The doors opened once again, and the tour guide told all seven people to get out.

The difference in air quality was very much noticeable. Lucas knew a thing or two, and could tell that there was a very significant amount of pollution in this stale air here. That in itself caused him a great deal of consternation; he was no fan of pollution.

"Here we go" the tour guide said. "This is the start of the tour. We're at a depth of roughly six hundred and thirty feet below the surface of the planet, and this means that it's about five degrees Celsius warmer down here. The temperature tends to increase one degree Fahrenheit for every seventy feet you descend. So, during the summer, they're working in some very hot temperatures".

Lucas was already sweating, both from anticipation and from the actual heat. He could tell that it was in the nineties now, down here. During the summer, how did these workers bear it?

"Let me tell you a little something" the tour guide told them. "This is where the miners go when they need to cool down a little. That should probably give you an idea of just how hot it gets down there".

In spite of the heat, the younger boy was shivering. He was glad that he hadn't brought Orkun down here with him- the Lucario would have been absolutely miserable, since he was a Steel type, and thus allergic to extreme heat.

"Let me show you where the miners work during the day. They tend to work in areas that are very fragile. _That's_ why you need to put a harness on and clip yourself into the rope".

Everyone present on the tour nodded. The tour guide passed out the harnesses, and showed each participant how to put them on.

This wasn't an easy task, in spite of how it may have looked. Lucas had been rock climbing before, at summer day camp and at a gym one time. However, he still needed help each time he had to put a harness on, partly because he was always paranoid that it would disconnect from the rope. If that happened, the results would not be good.

"All right! Here we go!" said the tour guide, probably a little more enthusiastically than Lucas would have said it, were he in that situation.

The tour guide made sure that everyone had their harnesses were on properly, then clipped them in to the rope that was against the wall.

"This ground can be quite fragile" said the tour guide. "If this bridge gives way, the rope will catch you, and you'll be able to climb your way back up. That's happened several times, so I just want you guys to be aware of that".

Solanna looked quite nervous - was she afraid of heights? Lucas didn't really know, and he supposed that he wasn't likely to find out unless he asked her. But that question could wait until later.

"Follow me".

The seven clients of the tour lined up. First there were the parents of the family, then the two girls. Behind them, there was Andromeda, and then Solanna, and then Lucas brought up the rear. He wanted to see the others do this first before he walked across.

After Lucas took a deep breath, he stepped out onto the bridge.

* * *

At first, things seemed to be going well enough. The path didn't fall apart beneath them, and Lucas was almost able to forget his fears.

 _I'm connected to the rope,_ he told himself. _If something happens to this bridge, I'm not going to die._

To a rational person, that would have sounded perfectly reasonable. It would have sounded as though he was thinking reasonably, and that he understood that the harness would save his life.

However, calling Lucas Snow _rational_ in that moment would have been a very grave mistake indeed. Because, for the most part, he was being irrational.

Even though the air down here was quite stale, he was taking a lot of breaths of it. He wasn't necessarily hyperventilating, but he was having to take a lot of breaths in order to compensate the fact that every breath was quite shallow. He felt as though, if he breathed too forcefully, that could cause the whole place to come crashing down.

"Here's the chapel" the tour guide said. "This is where the miners pray to Arceus occasionally, when they are in the mine. You can take a look if you like, but it's not a particularly large place".

Indeed, in Lucas's opinion, the chapel wasn't that impressive. There was a small statue of Arceus, the Pokemon that had created everything in this world, but there wasn't that much else. Really, if he was this far down, mining, he didn't think that anything would be that comforting to him.

They went deeper and deeper into the mine. The pathway had a small downward slope. They must have gone half a mile when Lucas had to stop and catch his breath. He was able to see below him, and it wasn't pretty.

"Are you okay, Lucas?" Solanna asked him.

He realized that he'd been pretty close to hyperventilating right there. "Yeah, I'm fine" he replied, hoping very, _very_ much that he was telling the truth. It was quite scary for him, being so far down and yet so far up.

Lucas looked downwards into the pit, and he realized just how great of a drop it was. He couldn't see anything below him, which led to the boy believing that this mine shaft very well might lead all the way to the center of the planet. If it did...he didn't even want to think about that.

The tour had gone a decent ways ahead of him when Lucas started running in order to catch up. Well, it was difficult to _run_ when you were in this position, but he was going much faster than the others in order to catch up with them.

Which was when he made his misstep.

It's difficult to move quickly _and_ step lightly at the same time. Lucas was not able to strike this balance, which was why he stepped a little too forcefully on one of the boards. It gave way.

Lucas's stomach lurched as he plummeted into the chasm, like a freight elevator whose cables had been cut. He fell into darkness, perhaps ten feet or so, before the rope snapped taut and caught him.

"DAMN IT, LUCAS!" he heard Andromeda yell from above him, but it was fairly vague. It had to go through the boards that were still intact.

Now that Lucas had stopped falling, he was able to look above him. Ten feet above him, Solanna was clinging to the boards, trying to pull herself back up. Andromeda knelt there, trying to help her. Lucas couldn't figure out how to climb back up there; he wasn't a small person. It wouldn't be easy to lift him back onto the platform.

"You've been rock climbing before, right, Lucas?" the tour guide asked in a yell.

"Yeah!" the young boy replied, trying to get his bearings. Swinging back over to the wall, he managed to find the smallest of footholds. Gripping it like it was his life (which it very well might have been), he was able to slowly climb back up to the boards.

"Sorry about that" he said. "I should not have allowed myself to fall so far behind. That's what happened; I was moving too fast. I'm really sorry".

"It's fine. This has happened so many times that I'm used to it at this point" the tour guide replied. "But remember to step lightly, so that this doesn't happen again. Luckily, there are alternative routes back to the start".

 _That_ was a relief. Lucas didn't want his whole tour group to be stuck in these mines, all thanks to one misstep on his part. He'd never be able to live with the guilt, not that he would live very long in that scenario.

They kept on going, Lucas still a little shaken from what had happened. His heart had stayed beating at the same rate that it had been when the flooring had given away below him, and it was only through deep breaths that he was able to slow it down. He knew that, were his mother watching him at that moment, she would be appalled that they had even considered touring the mines.

"All right" the tour guide said eventually. "This is the end of the mine. Because Lucas, with his heavy steps, caused the floor to collapse, we are going to be taking the alternative route back, the route that goes down below. There is a stairway here that leads down it".

After a quick turn to the left, the group of seven was led down a stairwell. It was probably a hundred or so steps, which reassured Lucas that he hadn't fallen into a bottomless pit, but he would almost certainly have died nonetheless had he not been harnessed in.

"There's really not much to it down here" the tour guide told them. "This is where they mined. There are deposits of coal, and some tracks that make their way back to the start. These tracks are for mine carts, and these tracks go all the way up to the surface; we have a special elevator for coal".

"Really?" asked one of the girls in the family. "That's so cool!"

"Indeed it is" the tour guide replied. "Now, we're just going to get back there, and…".

Out of nowhere, there was the sound of an explosion. Nobody knew what it was, but a slight bit of rock fell from the area above them into the ground. Typically, that wasn't a good sign.

"Shit!" the tour guide exclaimed. "Run for the exit!"

"What was _that?"_ Solanna asked, sounding very incredulous indeed. "It sounded like an explosion to me...was it?"

"I think it very well may have been" Lucas replied. His ears were so sensitive that they had indeed picked it up; it was not an easy thing to ignore, not in the least.

He didn't want to believe that it had been an explosion, because, in that case...he didn't want to think about the implications of what that meant. It would mean that it would be just like his dream, in which he'd been trapped below the surface and had to claw his way out.

They kept walking down the path until they reached an area where, it was clear to see, a rock slide had blocked off the path. There was perhaps a path through, but it would take a while. They'd have to lift a lot of rocks.

"We're trapped" the guide said. "We're going to have to move the rocks away in order to make our way through, so if you want to get out of this mine shaft alive, it's probably best for you to help in any way you can".

Lucas's stomach dropped even more than it had when the path had given way below him and he'd fallen into the chasm. Now, his nightmare was coming true. They were stuck here, seven hundred feet below the surface of the Earth, and with no visible way to get back up.

Andromeda, Lucas, and Solanna began grabbing rocks. Some of them were very heavy, while many of them were not. By the end of an hour, all three trainers were soaked in sweat and still hadn't made it through.

Lucas could feel his breath coming in shorter bursts. Not only was he tired now, but he was growing more and more terrified with every minute. If they couldn't create a hole big enough for them to crawl through, they would be condemned to an early grave, deep in the mines of Oreburgh City.

It took another hour, during which time Lucas was starting to feel very hot and exhausted. He didn't think that he was getting heat stroke again - that was just too horrible of a possibility to consider. However, he was starting to wish he'd brought some water with him.

 _If we die down here, Orkun will never know,_ he realized.

That was the worst part about it. Over the last week and a half, Lucas had formed a very strong bond with his Lucario. The thought that Orkun would spend the rest of his life wondering what had happened to his master...it made Lucas want to roll over and die right there.

Except, not really. He wanted to be alive for Orkun. And Vinaka as well. And he knew that Tai, Soko, and Aparri were all counting on their owners to return alive as well.

After two hours of very intense work, the three teenagers, as well as the tour guide, were just about to give up. However, there was soon an opening that was visible, and soon appeared to be very much usable.

"We did it" Andromeda sighed before collapsing to the ground.

The tour guide walked over to Andromeda in order to make sure that the older boy was all right. He hadn't fainted or anything like that; he'd just been very tired, falling to his knees.

"Nice" the tour guide replied. "We're going to get out of here after all".

The family that had taken the tour with the three trainers, none of whom had, so far as Lucas could tell, helped at all with creating a passage through the barricade of rocks, all looked extremely grateful.

"Thanks for saving us" one of the twin girls said to Solanna.

"It was no problem at all" the older girl replied. "We were saving ourselves, too".

"Good point" the father of the family said.

After that, the others started walking back through the tunnel, towards the elevator. The three trainers stood in the cavern for a while, and then Lucas said what everyone else was thinking.

"Let's get back to the surface. I've had enough of underground for a while".

* * *

 **That must have been very unnerving; being trapped underground is one of my greatest fears. Were I ever in that situation, I think that I would just...I don't know what I would do. But it wouldn't be pretty.**

 **Anyway, you know the drill. I'd like to know what you guys thought of this chapter.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15).**


	20. The Second Strike

**Here it is, the 20th chapter! This feels like such a great milestone. I am also pleased to announce that I've gotten over 2,500 views to this story. That's pretty awesome; as I may have said, I'm hoping to be in the high quadruple digits by the time this story is done.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Because this was a fun one to write, particularly a scene at the end.**

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 201X - 5:47 PM**

 **OREBURGH CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 84 DEGREES**

Thankfully, the path back to the elevator was pretty uncomplicated. Although there were some slopes along the way, as well as a few tight fits, there was nothing like what the cave-in they had encountered earlier. They managed to make it back with very little problem.

"Whew. Glad we got through that" Lucas said. He wiped his hand across his forehead, realizing that he was covered in sweat. Even though it was quite hot in the mine shaft, he was starting to feel rather chilly from the sheer amount of said sweat.

"Indeed" the tour guide replied. "My job is to get you safely back to the surface, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. The elevator is right here, and it'll take us back to the top. I'm sorry that the tour lasted longer than usual; it's only supposed to be about an hour and a half".

The family of four headed into the elevator, followed by Solanna, then Andromeda, then Lucas, and finally the tour guide, who looked rather apprehensive. Lucas didn't really understand why - the elevator had held all four of them on the way down, so why would it be a problem on the way up?

"That was a fun trip" Andromeda said sarcastically. Solanna couldn't help but chuckle in response.

The elevator kept on going upwards, and, like it had on the way down, it took nearly five minutes to reach the top. It was a great relief to finally be out of the elevator. Lucas had had enough confined spaces for a lifetime, and was very happy indeed to be back at the surface.

He looked around the place. There wasn't anyone of note who had been waiting for the elevator, which annoyed the young boy somewhat. It made no sense that people had evidently not been worried about the tour group; you would think that they would care that eight people, hundreds of feet below the surface of the Earth, were not coming back at the scheduled time.

In a way, Lucas wanted to scream, _I told you so!_

He hadn't particularly wanted to do this in the first place. The dream he'd had last night had kind of cemented that down, and now he knew that, were he to go underground again, he would most likely have a panic attack. It just wasn't going to be worth it in the future. It wasn't.

"Well, thanks for the tour" Andromeda told the guide. Even if it had been a hellish nightmare, the older boy clearly wanted to be nice and pretend that they had had a good time, while, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

"You are very much welcome" replied the tour guide. "Since you have already paid, you are free to go and look around the gift shop if you would like. If you want to leave, that's okay as well - it's almost six".

Lucas hadn't realized that that much time had passed in the mine. He supposed that time felt different when you were fighting for your life.

 _Should I call my mother?,_ he thought to himself. _So that she can know what happened? Would that be a good idea? Or would it only make her mad or worried?_

Just then, behind a corner of a shelf in the mine's "reception area", a mysterious person turned up.

It wasn't possible to tell whom he was; none of the three trainers had seen him before. There were some things that were obvious about him, though.

For one, he couldn't have been older than twenty or so. His face looked decently young, and he was a tall, broad-shouldered person with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Said eyes contained nothing short of _fear._

At first, Lucas had no idea what this young man was doing there. As far as he knew, there were no more tours scheduled. After all, why _would_ there be any, when a very significant portion of the mine had collapsed?

That would seem to rule out the possibility of the man waiting for a tour. But, if that wasn't what he was there for, what could it possibly have been? It made no sense, unless…

Lucas whispered into Solanna's ear. "We've got to get out of here" he said as quietly as he could.

To his surprise, she didn't question it. Like a children's game of telephone, she whispered the same thing into Andromeda's ear. The older boy nodded.

"Let's go" Andromeda said aloud. Trying not to look too conspicuous, they departed the store casually, trying to look as though they had just had an enjoyable tour of the mines and were about to leave for dinner.

Turning towards Lucas, Solanna said, "I'm not hungry after something like that. How about you guys?"

"I'm not either" the boys replied in unison.

"I mean", Solanna said, "if that man really is the person who put the explosive in the rock, or if he had something to do with the cave-in, I don't want to stay in Oreburgh City a second longer than we absolutely have to. We don't _need_ to stay another night in the Pokemon center here, do we?"

"We don't" Andromeda said. "We should just take the money and run. I mean, grab the Pokeballs and get the fuck out of here".

Solanna and Lucas looked at the oldest trainer with funny expressions on their faces. They had never heard him swear before, at least, not the F-bomb. It wasn't something they really expected from Andromeda Watson.

After they had all exchanged a laugh at that, Lucas said, "Let's get out of here. Andromeda is right. We don't want to be here, when we very well might be getting hunted down".

 _When we very well might be getting hunted down._

The words he had just said chilled Lucas to the very core, but he knew that they were true. There was simply no way he was wrong about the mysterious man they'd found at the top of the mine. He was so confident in this that he might have asked Arceus to strike him down if he was wrong. _That_ was the conviction with which he believed it.

They took a taxi once again back to the Pokemon center. Lucas had had a small amount of worry that there was a chance that the Pokeballs might have been stolen, but that was luckily not the case. They remained in the same position as they had been left there, sitting on their beds in the room.

"Should we let them out?" Solanna asked Andromeda.

Lucas didn't know why, but he didn't like how the girl appeared to be deferring to Andromeda as the de facto leader of the group. He wanted to think that they were all equal partners in this endeavor, but that did not appear to be the case, the way Solanna was acting.

"I say no" the older boy replied. "It makes no sense. Orkun and Vinaka would draw _far_ too much attention to our party. Really, it's much better this way. Aren't we trying to make a discreet getaway?"

"I suppose so" Solanna said.

"He's right" Lucas said. "It's not a good idea to let them out. We should just keep on going with them in their Pokeballs".

After all three of them had confirmed the plan, they checked out of the Pokemon center and hailed another taxi. This one would take them to the outskirts of Oreburgh City, and, from there, they would be able to get away.

* * *

Since it was early evening, there was a lot of traffic on the way out of Oreburgh. One wouldn't think it would be this way, owing to the fact that it was just a small mining city; why would it be so crowded?

This made Lucas extremely anxious. If they didn't get out of this city fast enough, it was possible that whoever it was might catch up with them. He hated the thought of getting captured by whoever it was, but he knew that, if they weren't careful, it just might come true.

Eventually, they did manage to reach the western edge of Oreburgh City. The three trainers paid the cabbie, and then they got out.

Lucas looked around the area. It was clear to see, now, that it was getting closer and closer to sunset. The sun had sunk behind the large hills in the distance, and it wouldn't be long before it was completely below the horizon.

"I don't know if we'll be able to find a Pokemon center" Andromeda said, making sure that the taxi had driven well away from them by this point.

"Why not?" Lucas asked him. "There must be about a million of them along Route 203. We could get to the next city easily that way".

"Perhaps we could" the older boy replied. "Or perhaps we could not. I've heard that Route 203 is quite dangerous at night if you are travelling in that direction. Do you know why?"

 _No,_ Lucas fought the urge to say. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Andromeda and look stupid. Indeed, he didn't particularly feel like talking at all.

The way things had gone today, Lucas was feeling quite overwhelmed. He wanted to take a break from the whole thing.

Whenever Lucas was stressed out, he tended to retreat inwards into his own world. For the most part, this was an effective coping mechanism, even if it only managed to distract him temporarily and wasn't a long-term solution. However, it wasn't always healthy.

Now, he was not only very much stressed out, but he was also relieved. That might sound like a conflicting combination of emotions, but, when it came to Lucas Snow, such a combination was not at all unusual.

He was stressed out that they were quite possibly getting tailed by somebody. Why _else_ would there have been an explosive in the rock down in the mine? Somehow, somebody knew their whereabouts and was stalking them. The thought of that terrified him.

At the same time, he was relieved. If the intention had been to kill them, that had not happened. The three trainers had survived the trip through the mine, even if it would rattle them for some time. Lucas himself knew that he was going to have a great many nightmares in the future about this very thing.

And yet...there was still life to focus on. This journey, this grand journey that he was currently on, wasn't even close to being over yet.

"All right. Want to buy some sleeping bags here, Lucas?"

They'd been walking for a little over a mile at this point, and they'd come to what appeared to be a convenience store. It had the usual snacks and drinks there, but there were also things such as sleeping bags and bug spray.

Lucas didn't realize that he'd zoned out so totally that he had missed what the other two were saying. "Uh...sure" he said.

Lucas, Solanna, and Andromeda walked into the store and were immediately greeted by a very kind woman who was slightly pudgy. "What do you need?" she asked them.

"Three sleeping bags. Can we just get them and hand them to you?" Solanna said.

"Of course; that's generally how you buy things in a store" the clerk replied, clearly slightly annoyed with the way the girl had said that. However, she appeared to get over it fairly quickly.

The children each went to the rack and collected one sleeping bag apiece. They were all fairly heavy and black in color, and they looked quite warm. Of course, there was only going to be one way to find out.

After paying for the sleeping bags, they walked for about another mile or two before the stars began to turn overhead. It was then that Lucas decided to let Orkun out of his Pokeball.

As soon as the Lucario was sitting on the ground, he had a large number of questions for his master.

 _What happened in the mines? Why didn't you let us out until we were here?_

"Can I please explain?" Lucas asked Orkun. "Because it is kind of a long story".

 _Sure,_ the Lucario replied. _What is it?_

"Well", the younger boy replied, "when we went on the tour of the mines, there was a cave-in there. As a result, it took a lot longer to get out than we had expected".

 _I see,_ Orkun replied. _Well, I'm very happy to know that you are all right now. I can't imagine how stressful and terrifying that must have been._

"It was" Andromeda said. "But we got through it. And we're going to get through to Jubilife City as well. There aren't any gym leaders there, though".

 _No gym leaders?,_ Vinaka asked. The Vulpix had also been let out of her Pokeball at this point, and she was clearly wondering what they would be doing in Jubilife City if there weren't going to be any gym battles there.

"Nope" Lucas said. "I'm thinking that we'll stay there for a while, though, just so that we can train up some. It's going to help a lot in the future, I think".

 _You THINK,_ Vinaka replied. _What if it doesn't? What if we spend a week or two in Jubilife City for nothing?_

"It _will_ be for something" Solanna stated imperiously. "We're going to be able to experience it for a while. After all, it is the largest city in Sinnoh. Maybe we can make a little more money, too. Could you maybe get a resume, Lucas?"

"A resume?"

"Yeah, like a job" Solanna replied. "Maybe you could work for a bit in Jubilife City. And, on your break, we can train up our Pokemon, and maybe look for new ones. This is no offense to Aparri, but I've had him for pretty much forever, and I wish I had someone new".

 _Yeah,_ Lucas thought. _I can see why that would get a little old._

He could assume that the girl loved her Charmander deeply, judging by the reverence with which she spoke about him. That said, he also understood why she might be a little tired of _only_ having Aparri with her.

"It's whatever, though" the girl said. "We should probably get some sleep. We have a lot of walking to do tomorrow".

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 201X - 11:02 PM**

 **CLIFFS ABOVE OREBURGH CITY, SINNOH**

 **LOW TEMPERATURE: 60 DEGREES**

Looking back on it, Sam couldn't believe that he'd fucked things up so badly.

It should have been so simple. He was going to head down into the mine on a tour with that group. He'd try to create a rock slide that would trap Lucas, Andromeda, and Solanna down there. And, when that happened, he'd swoop in and capture them.

Of course, it hadn't exactly worked that way. Sam was quite afraid of enclosed spaces and being underground. This would seem surprising to an outsider, since he _was_ a member of Charlie's Angels. However, when one really thought about it, it made perfect sense.

The base for the Sinnoh branch of Team Rocket, while it was located inside of Mount Coronet, had been built much better than the mines. Certainly, it was far more structurally sound. If there was ever a worry about a landslide trapping them inside the base, there was a contingency plan in place.

As for the mine, it was six hundred feet below the surface. That was a _very_ deep hole to climb out of. He knew that there was some dynamite down there, but would it have been possible to trap the children without trapping himself?

No, it was a stupid plan anyway.

As Sam was pondering this, he got a call on his phone. Checking the number, he saw that it was Charlie again.

He was very reluctant to answer, given that he would, in all probability, be in for a serious scolding from his boss. At the same time, however...it just didn't make any sense to refuse to answer. When you were a member of Charlie's Angels, and you refused to answer a call from the boss, you would typically not live to regret it...because you wouldn't _live._

So he pressed the answer button, and Charlie had this to say to him:

"You fucked up real big, you know that, right?"

Sam nodded sheepishly. Then, remembering that Charlie could not see that he was nodding, he said, "Yeah...I did".

"You wouldn't go in that mine...because, why? You were scared of getting _caught?_ That's such a juvenile fear that it shouldn't bother you, not at all".

"J-juvenile?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Juvenile. Defined in the dictionary as _of, for, or relating to young people._ Younger than twenty for sure".

"But-".

"Aw, does liddle Sammy need his blankie, because he's afraid of going into the mines?" Charlie said tauntingly. Sam could feel his face reddening; he was angry at being talked to this way.

"How old am I, four?"

"Next thing you'll be asking me to fucking change your diaper or give you a bottle. Seriously...dude, you'd better man up".

Sam couldn't believe it. He hadn't been acting juvenile at all, as far as he knew. And yet Charlie was just completely and totally _roasting_ him.

Thankfully, on the other end, Charlie was seeming to catch his breath. In a calmer voice than he had been ranting in before, he said, "Look. You'd better man up, like I said. If you don't, you're not fit to be a member of Charlie's Angels. You have one more chance, and, if you don't make a serious attempt to capture the children, regardless of how scary it is, your contract will be terminated".

This was Sam's second strike. Last year, he'd been asked to go on a mission to capture a shiny Pichu that had been running loose around Oreburgh City, in a place where it was not typically to be found. Since he'd arouse suspicion easily, he had chickened out of it, and declined at the last minute.

Charlie's Angels operated on one very simple rule: "Three strikes, you're out". If Sam chickened out again, his contract was going to be terminated. He didn't want that.

"I'm going to do it next time" he promised.

After Charlie had hung up, presumably to eat more key lime pie or something like that, Sam put his phone away. He looked up at the stars for a while.

Since Oreburgh City was smaller than most of the other major cities of Sinnoh, the stars were far more visible here than they were in, say, Jubilife City. It was very easy to imagine things far away, and dream of what might be possible in the future.

Sam could see himself capturing those children. He could see it happening. He could see himself getting a big raise in salary, which also came with getting to stay in the more luxurious quarters on the higher levels of the mountain.

Of course, that could only happen if he was actually successful.

He looked up at the moon. He could only think of one thing to say, which was all right, because it was all that needed to be said.

"I'm coming for you, Lucas Snow".

* * *

 **Yeah, I thought that was a good cliffhanger. I also really liked writing the roast scene, where Charlie completely tears into Sam for being too cowardly to go down into the mines. I just thought that was really funny.**

 **In any case, I look forward to seeing what you guys think of it!**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15).**


	21. An Imaginary Picnic

**It's a shorter chapter than usual, but I figured that this would be a good place to end it. The next one will be a longer chapter than usual, I promise. With that out of the way, let's get to it.**

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 201X - 11:15 PM**

 **ROUTE 203, SINNOH**

 **LOW TEMPERATURE: 61 DEGREES**

Lucas hadn't expected that it would be this difficult to fall asleep.

He'd slept in a sleeping bag on a couple of occasions before. When he'd had a sleepover at day camp, they had slept in tents on the camp's grounds, and each camper had brought their sleeping bags with them.

However, this time, things were different. This time, Lucas was not surrounded by a tent. He was lying on the ground, completely exposed to the elements.

He was very grateful indeed that he wasn't being forced to share a sleeping bag. On several occasions, when he had been travelling with his family, he had had to share a bed with Jason, something he had not enjoyed at all, so it really felt good to have one of his own.

Even without someone to share the sleeping bag with, however, he was still lying on the cold, hard ground, something that was difficult to get comfortable on. He told himself that it would only be for one night, that, sometime tomorrow, they would reach Jubilife City, and then he'd be able to sleep in a bed once more.

Lucas supposed that the area was pretty enough. He was surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. They were right on the edge of a forest, and, while it was impossible to tell just what might be inside said forest, he was grateful that they didn't have any plans to enter it at the moment.

They were only a few miles away from Oreburgh City, and that scared him. Even though the city itself was no longer visible from here, the hills surrounding it were just barely possible to make out, even at night. Of course, it was probably much more difficult to see three adolescents in their sleeping bags from those hills, but one simply couldn't know.

After what felt like forever, Lucas was finally able to drift off to sleep. When he did, however, he sank into yet another dream.

* * *

He was standing in the middle of a meadow, and it was around midday. He was with Solanna and Andromeda, and they were laying a blanket down on the ground.

It was then that Lucas remembered what they were there for. They had decided to have a picnic lunch there in order to celebrate something. He didn't know what it was. All he did know was that it was a good day for whatever reason.

And it was a _beautiful_ day, perhaps the most beautiful one he'd ever experienced in his life. That was saying something, since the weather in southern Sinnoh, where he lived, was generally quite pleasant during the summer.

Of course, it was quite hot, but there was a rainbow visible. At first, Lucas thought that there must have been a storm recently, but that made no sense, since the ground was completely dry. It was then that Lucas realized something.

The rainbow didn't look like a typical rainbow. Rather, it appeared almost like it was from a cartoon of some sort, with more solid blocks of color than anything. In a way, it looked even more amazing than one that came after a storm.

Did I mention the flowers? They were in a rainbow of colors as well, and they smelled absolutely heavenly.

 _Did I die and go to heaven?,_ Lucas wondered. _Because this is what I imagine it might look like._

If so, he was pleasantly surprised. In life, he'd never believed in heaven, and it felt weird to actually be there. That said, if he had indeed been allowed to go through the pearly gates, he wasn't complaining; he quite liked being here.

They set out the blanket, and the three trainers sat down there. Orkun, Vinaka, Tai, Soko, and Aparri played in the meadow. It was clear to see that the Lucario was trying to catch one of the many butterflies that were in the air. And this saddened him, knowing that Orkun was engaged in an exercise of futility.

But then something else saddened him. The realization that Orkun was wasting his time was bad enough. This new realization was far worse.

 _This isn't real._

There was no way that a rainbow could look that fake. It looked like something that might be found on a children's TV show, like _My Little Ponyta._ If this was real, then he was Arceus.

Solanna opened the picnic basket. "Here you go" she said. "I brought sandwiches, sodas, chips, and a pie".

Indeed, everything looked delicious. The food definitely smelled like it was real. Baguette sandwiches, cans of lemon-lime and root beer, bags of potato chips, and a key lime pie definitely did not appear to be fake.

Lucas grabbed a sandwich. It was lettuce, tomato, pickles, and salami - his favorite type of sandwich. He didn't remember ever telling Solanna this, so it surprised him that she had thought to bring the exact kind of sandwich that he liked the most.

He bit into it, and…it tasted like nothing.

 _I mean, I know that this is only just a dream, but...nothing sandwiches? What the fuck is up with that?_

The more he looked around, the more everything but the rainbow seemed to be real. He could feel the sun on his skin, the wind on his face...there was no way that he was imagining all of that. They just _had_ to be real.

He couldn't be bothered to eat the rest of his sandwich without a swig of root beer. It just wasn't going to happen, so he grabbed the can and took a nice, long drink of it.

The root beer didn't taste like nothing. It tasted _worse_ than nothing, like the disgusting pink liquid that doctors make kids take when they get sick.

Lucas spat out the drink, and it got all over the blanket.

"Lucas! What are you doing?" Andromeda asked frantically. They knew that this wasn't the fun-loving Lucas Snow that they had gotten to know well.

"I'm _done_ with this!" Lucas yelled. "If you think you can get away with making nothing sandwiches and worse-than-nothing root beer, I don't even _want_ to know what the key lime pie tastes like!"

He turned around and ran into the meadow. He ran so far away that, when he finally turned around and looked for any signs of Solanna and Andromeda, there were none.

He was alone.

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 201X - 6:05 AM**

 **ROUTE 203, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 82 DEGREES**

Lucas woke up, not knowing whether to feel relieved or sad.

Perhaps relieved, because he hadn't really run away from a picnic he'd been having with the other two trainers. Perhaps sad, because it had been such a beautiful day, and it was a shame that it had been just a figment of his imagination.

He opened his eyes, and then he remembered where he was.

Lucas was lying in his sleeping bag as the sun was rising over the fields of Sinnoh. He remembered that this was Route 203, the route that led from Oreburgh City to Jubilife City. And he remembered just what had happened the previous day.

The young boy shivered when he thought of just how close the group had come to dying. If the rock slide had happened slightly differently, hit a few different places, it was very possible that they would not have been able to dig around it. They could still be down there, running out of air, food, and water.

 _No matter,_ he told himself. _You need to stop caring, Lucas. What matters is that all of you are alive and well now, and you're going to keep this great journey going. So put a sock in it._

"Putting a sock in it" was easier said than done. Every time he tried to think about something else, his thoughts would go back to the mine. He was quite certain he had some kind of post-traumatic stress, but he didn't want to go and get it diagnosed. He didn't want to make his friends think something was wrong with him.

 _They already did._ Thanks to his autism, they might have thought he was a freak of some sort. As much as he liked to think differently than that, it was very much possible that they saw him that way.

As much as Lucas wanted to get up and walk around, he didn't want to worry the others. There was absolutely no point in walking too far away from them, because then they'd just go looking for him. Besides, the way things were going, he would need friends to talk this over with. He needed friends to help him get over this.

Eventually, both Solanna and Andromeda woke up, thankfully without the aid of an alarm clock. Lucas found those extremely annoying at times, even though he had used one himself at home.

"Good morning, Solanna. Good morning, Andromeda" Lucas said, trying to sound as unconcerned as possible.

"Morning, Lucas" Andromeda said, sounding somewhat tired. "That was quite a day yesterday".

"About that…" the younger boy started saying, but then Solanna cut him off.

"We can't dwell on the past" the girl told both boys. "Let's just head to the next city and try to put that all behind us, because the past will eat you alive if you let it. Just let go, both of you".

Lucas both loved and hated what Solanna had said there. He loved it, because it could very well be a helpful tip for him in the future. He hated it, because he felt as though the girl was being dismissive of his feelings. _That_ wasn't a good feeling at all.

"Let's get out of here" Andromeda suggested. "Honestly, the further away we get from Oreburgh City, the better I'll feel about the whole thing".

Neither of the other two saw any reason to argue with that, so they put their sleeping bags back in their backpacks and started walking once more.

It only took a couple of hours, at their pace, to reach the place they were looking for; the edge of Jubilife City. They'd crested a small hill, or, rather, what had _seemed_ to be a small hill. After that, the area dropped down to reveal an enormous metropolis.

It was easily the largest city Lucas had ever seen, and nothing else even came close. According to Pokepedia, it was the largest city in Sinnoh, containing more than a million people. And, although it was difficult to describe such a large city as _beautiful,_ Lucas couldn't think of a better word to describe what was spread out below him.

Three hundred feet below, in the midst of a forested valley, spread several miles of streets, buildings, and a few parks. There were also skyscrapers, reaching seventy or eighty stories above the ground. It really was quite amazing.

Lucas had been feeling quite tired when he'd made it to the top of the hill. Even though the sleeping bag had been very helpful during the night, and was likely to continue to be helpful in the future, the fact remained that it added more weight to a bag that was already fairly heavy. It wasn't helpful.

They kept walking, this time downhill, which was a welcome break from the uphill climb that they'd already had to get to the top. At first, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, other than the fact that they were going downhill rather than uphill this time.

And then…"Ouch!"

Lucas hadn't realized that he was stepping on something until that word had come out of its mouth. The voice was definitely male, which initially caused Lucas to think that he must have stepped on Andromeda's foot. It wouldn't be the first time; the younger boy was fairly clumsy.

After that, however, he realized that it couldn't have been Andromeda to say that, because the older boy didn't appear to be in pain at all.

He soon realized what it was. He'd stepped on a Machop that had been sitting there on Route 203.

"Watch where you're stepping next time!" the voice exclaimed.

Lucas looked down at the creature. With the tone of voice the Machop was using, he certainly sounded depressed. He didn't understand _why_ the Machop was sad, but it was definitely something that he wanted to figure out.

"Apologize, Lucas" Solanna said firmly.

He saw no reason not to. "I'm sorry that I stepped on you. I wasn't looking where I was going".

"Oh, like _that's_ an excuse. But it doesn't matter. Nobody cares about me. Nobody!"

That was a little extreme, Lucas thought. In his opinion, there was no reason to be that way.

" _I_ care about you" Solanna said. "And, let me tell you, if you were hurt in some way, I would not be able to live with myself. I don't know who your original trainer was, but they must have been a real jerk".

"Oh, they were" Machop said tearfully. "By the way, my name's Bayon. Nice to meet you".

"Nice to meet you as well" Andromeda said. "Solanna, do you want to do the honors?"

The girl was clearly conflicted. She didn't want to catch a Pokemon that had just met them, and take it with them without their consent. At the same time...no, she couldn't think of a good reason, unless…

"Take me" Bayon said. "I'll come with you. It'll be great".

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked. "We're going on a journey".

"I wanted nothing more than to go on a journey" the Machop replied. "I'll go with you guys".

"Nice. Let's get a hotel somewhere, and then we can all introduce ourselves".

Solanna took out her Pokeball and caught Bayon. After that, they all walked into the city.

 **(Insert a horizontal line here)**

At first, Lucas was struck by just how crowded this city was. He supposed that at least part of it was because he was autistic, but that supposition didn't make it any better. Every time a taxi whirred past, he had to cover his ears. It was so loud that he just couldn't cope with it any other way.

"There's no gym leader in Jubilife City" Andromeda said eventually. "Are you thinking that we'll just stay here for a while and train?"

"Not a bad idea" Solanna replied. "Besides, I really do think that we'll enjoy it here. There's so much to see in Jubilife City, and I've heard that the restaurants are absolutely _divine._

Lucas, meanwhile, had been walking roughly twenty feet ahead of the other two, carrying Vinaka and Orkun with him in their Pokeballs. Both were currently stashed in his backpack, but, if necessary, he would be able to bring them out fairly easily. He wanted to be ready for any eventuality.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab onto his shoulders and pull him backwards away from the street. Seconds later, a public bus zoomed on past.

"LUCAS!" Solanna shrieked. Judging by the strength of the arms that were holding him back, the boy whose name had just been yelled could tell that it was Andromeda who was restraining him.

"What?" he asked, although he figured that he already knew.

"Were you not restrained just now", Andromeda began to explain, "that bus would have hit you. You need to pay more attention to your surroundings".

Lucas's heart, which until then had been beating at its normal pace, quickened dramatically. He realized, just then, that Andromeda had saved his life, even if it was a little jarring to suddenly be pulled backwards by one of your friends.

"Thanks" Lucas replied. "And sorry. I'll be more careful in the future".

"You almost died right there" Andromeda said. "Almost like when…".

He didn't want to remember the time he had gotten heat stroke and collapsed right in front of Andromeda. At this point, it had gone from a scary memory to an embarrassing one, one that he'd honestly rather have forgotten.

"Let's get away from here" Lucas said. "Let's find a place to have breakfast, while we get to know Bayon. Does that sound like a plan?"

After both Solanna and Andromeda confirmed that they liked the idea, they decided to start looking.

* * *

 **Yeah, I really liked writing that dream sequence there; I found it quite emotional, and there was definitely some drama as Lucas started to realize that it wasn't real.**

 **One note about chapter count: I had initially thought that this was going to be about 40 chapters long. The more I think about it, however, the more convinced I become that it's likely to be closer to 50 chapters. I'm determined to finish it, though!**

 **For the record, Bayon's name is pronounced "BYE-ON". It's not "BAY-ON".**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop (Level 8).**


	22. Bayon's Past

**As you can tell, by both the chapter's title and by the beginning of it being in italics, this chapter does start with a flashback. I had a great time writing it, as well as the rest of this chapter. It's not the longest one, but I think it's quite a good length, at just over four thousand words.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **(FLASHBACK)**

 _He was standing in the middle of the foyer, appreciating the view from the mansions of Sunyshore City. The beach was far below him, various patrons coming and going, some playing in the waves in the afternoon sun._

 _And he tried not to cry, because, if he did, that would most certainly cause his owner to get angry. He couldn't afford to do that and make his sorry lot in life even more so._

 _Bayon began pacing the room. It was almost tea time, when his owner, a man by the name of Mr. Gondol, would wish for him to start cooking dinner. This wasn't an easy job, since the man always liked everything absolutely perfect._

 _Just then, his owner entered the room. The sight of him was enough to make the Machop cower in the corner._

 _Jeff Gondol was a big man, by any sense of the word. He was tall, six feet and a few inches by Bayon's estimation. And his girth was ample. Mr. Gondol had to weigh at least three hundred pounds, but he wasn't self-conscious about it. He often cracked jokes about his belly, which was something that Bayon could admire, even if he hated his owner with a passion._

" _There you are!" the man boomed. Gondol had a flat top of hair, with glasses, and his eyes were looking at Bayon with a severe expression. "It's time to make dinner. We've got guests coming over tonight!"_

 _The Machop gulped. When there were guests coming over, it was especially important to get the food exactly right, because it wasn't just his owner who would be angry at him if he failed to do so._

" _What am I making?" Bayon asked, trying not to sound scared. The truth was, he was very afraid indeed of his master._

" _The recipe is on the counter" Mr. Gondol told him. "They'll be here at six. Remember that everything has to be perfect, or else you know what that means"._

 _Bayon did know. He'd experienced it a great number of times before, and he knew that he did not want to have a repeat of it ever again. Not more punishment._

 _After that, his master left the room, and the Machop went to collect the list of ingredients._

Okay...so I'm making meatball soup, _he thought._ The ingredients are turkey meatloaf, onions, celery, carrots, pasta, and broth. How can I possibly fuck this up?

 _He really hoped that he'd get it right; he didn't want to face punishment, because that was a very severe price to pay._

 _He chopped the vegetables, hoping that he'd be able to do it all right in time. The sun was still high in the afternoon sky, and the people down at the beach looked as though they were having the time of their lives. He really wished that he could have been a part of that. He really did._

 _Alas...that wasn't the way things worked for Bayon._

 _As the Machop continued with the vegetables, he was hoping that Mr. Gondol wouldn't return to the room. If he did, that might cause him to lose some of his focus, something Bayon did not want._

 _Really, if the man wanted his soup to be perfect, he wouldn't be making it easy if he entered the room once more in order to pressure Bayon to get it done. He was going to be done when he was done, and it wasn't something that could be rushed._

 _As soon as all the meatballs and vegetables had been prepared and tossed in the soup, Mr. Gondol entered the room again. "I forgot to mention something" he said to his Machop._

" _What is that?" Bayon asked. He really wanted to know what was going on._

" _You'll be needing this recipe as well. We're going to have cake as well"._

Great, _Bayon thought to himself._ This is just wonderful. Another complicated dish.

 _Of course, meatball soup wasn't that complicated. It only took a little bit of work. Mr. Gondol's favorite type of yellow cake, on the other hand, was much more difficult._

 _The ingredients, which included flour, sugar, whipped cream, and strawberries, had to be mixed together in exactly the right proportions, in exactly the right way, in order to make the cake. If something was off, even by just a little bit, it could really mess everything else up, something that absolutely nobody wanted._

 _Bayon didn't care for his owner at all, but he wanted him to be in a good mood. If Mr. Gondol was in a good mood, that meant that he wouldn't be taking out his bad mood on his Machop. That would mean that he might even get rewarded, such as actually getting to eat some of the food that he'd made._

 _However, Mr. Gondol was rarely this pleased with him, that he'd let Bayon eat some of the soup, or whatever it had been that he was making. Very often, he'd simply force Bayon to make the dish, and then leave him be for the rest of the evening. Or worse, and even more often, punish the Machop for getting one small thing wrong._

 _Once the soup and cake had been finished, Bayon was about to be done with cooking, and he couldn't have been happier for it. Whatever happened, at least he was done for the day, and wouldn't have to to cook again until tomorrow._

 _But then, his owner entered the room again. Looking over his glasses at the Machop, he said, "There's also the beer bread"._

 _Bayon sighed, but he didn't protest. He knew that doing so would only lead to more punishment._

 _He made the beer bread, and, once the streams of sunlight were starting to come into the dining room of the Gondol mansion, set it down on the table, along with the soup. The cake was left in the refrigerator in order to cool down. It wouldn't be completely fit for consumption for some time._

 _It wasn't long until the dinner guests started arriving. Mr. Gondol held out his hand to all of the guests in order to shake it. He had a very high position in his law firm, and, as a result, his home was often the location of all of these functions. Bayon was frequently reminded just how_ lucky _he was, just how_ grateful _he should be for the fact that he was owned by such a wealthy man._

 _If Mr. Gondol had a spouse, you could have fooled Bayon. Perhaps they were separated, divorced, or she'd died, because he never spoke about her. If that had happened, he supposed it was understandable that he might not have been in the best mood, but that gave him no excuse to take it out on Bayon._

 _After the Machop was dismissed to the porch, he tried not to cry. By now, most of the families on the beach were either packing up for the day or had already left. The dune grass was as beautiful as it always was, and that saddened him._

 _He was never allowed to play in the grass, on the sand, or in the waves. Mr. Gondol always ruled over Bayon with an iron fist, and he was never allowed to have any fun at all. It wasn't as though "NO FUN" was a rule that was on the books for his household, but it might as well have been._

 _Once dinner was over, and the guests had left (that took a few hours, by which time the sun had set and the stars had started turning overhead), Mr. Gondol called Bayon back inside._

" _Bayon! Let me tell you something!"_

 _There were two tones of voice his master used. One was the kind, (relatively) gentle tone that meant that he wasn't going to be punished, and was possibly even going to be rewarded. The other was the harsh tone, that indicated that he was in ig trouble._

 _This was the latter._

 _Head hung low, the Machop staggered back inside the house, to find Mr. Gondol looking at him furiously. He was holding a stack of papers, probably official documents from work, although it was difficult to tell their exact purpose._

" _The food was absolutely abysmal. Substandard. Low-energy, to put it one way. This cannot stand in the future"._

 _Bayon's heart sunk, although he had been expecting this. With the tone that Mr. Gondol had chosen to use, there was simply no way that it would have been anything else._

" _Do you know what this means, Bayon? It means that it's time for punishment"._

 _Unlike many physical abusers, who dole out punishment to their victims, Mr. Gondol preferred to watch as Bayon did it to himself. In the Machop's opinion, this made it even more despicable; he hated doing these things to himself, but he was forced to do it, or else his master would do it for him._

 _The beefy man led Bayon into a corner and said, "Okay, Bayon. It's time that you learned how we do things in here"._

 _After he had been given a cue, Bayon began banging his head into the wall._ I deserve this, _he tried to convince himself._ I deserve it.

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 201X - 9:26 AM**

 **JUBILIFE CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 82 DEGREES**

The trio walked along the avenue, looking for a good place to have breakfast.

At first, it appeared that they would not have any luck, or, at least, that said luck would not come easily. The way things were going, they were going to spend quite some time wandering around in their search, and it wasn't going to work out.

It shouldn't have been this way; there were probably hundreds of restaurants in the city of over a million people, if not thousands. But many of them would not take minors alone, and, since all three children were underage, that was a big problem.

"If we _are_ going to stay here for a while", Lucas said, "it would help to know which restaurants are going to serve us and which aren't. We're definitely going to have to get a grasp on that, and soon".

"Oh, we will" Andromeda said, ever the optimist. He was carrying one Pokeall in each hand, rather than in his backpack. If they were attacked for whatever reason, he would be able to call them to his aid almost immediately.

"This city _is_ pretty awesome, though" Solanna said. "Kind of reminds me of Saffron City in Kanto, where I grew up".

"I can see why" Lucas said. Truth be told, he was rather overwhelmed by the whole place, which wasn't surprising, considering the immense size of Jubilife City. All he wanted was to find a nice cafe where they could relax for a while and get away from all of the noise.

It didn't take much longer before they found a restaurant that looked fairly friendly. There were only a few other people in there, luckily, so they walked inside.

Even more luckily, this restaurant did allow minors to dine alone, and it allowed Pokemon to dine with them as well. One of the couples eating there had a pair of Piplup with them, and this made Lucas almost want to cry.

As he looked at Orkun (whom he had let out of his Pokeball just a minute or two ago), he could not help but think about how, were there Piplup available at Professor Rowan's Gardenia lab on his birthday, he would not have his Lucario with him. Instead, he'd have a Piplup, and things would be completely different.

Well, maybe not _completely_ different. Certainly, there were some things that would not be the same as the current timeline. But he'd still be on a journey, and could quite possibly have different friends than Andromeda and Solanna.

Of course, there was no way to know for sure how things would have gone in this alternate universe. All he did know was that it felt like it had been much longer than two weeks since he'd gotten Orkun. So many new developments had transpired in his life since then.

The three trainers sat down in a booth and ordered hot chocolate. Even though it was shaping up to be quite a warm day, Lucas always liked hot cocoa, due to its soothing feeling on his throat. Even when he wasn't sick, it was still one of his favorite beverages, second only to root beer.

"So...tell me a little more about yourself, Bayon" Lucas said once all of them had gotten settled.

"I'd rather not, if you don't mind" the Machop said. "It's kind of personal, if you know what I mean".

Lucas put his hand on his heart. "Oh, I am so, _so_ sorry". He was one to become sorry easily for something he had done, no matter how minor it may have been. "Don't be sorry" Bayon replied. "It's just that I don't like talking about my background, if that is okay".

"It's fine" Solanna said. "You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about".

The waiter came back with their drinks, and then asked them what they wanted to eat. Once their orders had all been taken, Lucas had a spoonful of his hot cocoa.

"Mmm...that's good" he said, licking his lips. "I can't believe that they make it like this. It's like Arceus did it himself".

"I don't know if I would go _that_ far, Lucas Snow" Andromeda replied, sipping his own hot chocolate. "But yes, this is definitely above average".

"Where are we going to train today?" Vinaka asked. The Vulpix was sitting next to her master, so that Lucas could stroke her with his left hand. He didn't do so very often, but she really did appreciate it when he did take the time to do so.

"There are some great battling courts here" Orkun replied. Turning to his trainer, he said, "Right, Lucas?"

"Yep. From what I've heard, they are quite good. But I'm thinking that we should stay here for a while, train up. We don't want to just rush through all of this".

"Really?" asked Tai. "I thought that we'd want to get all of the badges as quickly as possible. Isn't that the whole point of a journey?"

"That's not true" Solanna replied. "Journeys are so that you can see the world. I think that, since we've been on the road for quite a while, we could take a break here for a week or two. That makes sense".

 _My thoughts exactly!,_ Lucas wanted to say, but didn't.

The waiter eventually returned with their food, and the children dug in. Lucas couldn't believe how good the strawberry pancakes were; he'd eaten at a lot of restaurants in his life, but this was definitely one of the best. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that each member of his trio had two of their own Pokemon now.

 _Yep. I've got Orkun and Vinaka. Andromeda has Tai and Soko. And Solanna has Aparri and Bayon. By the end of this journey, we're going to have an army. A huge, unstoppable army that's going to make Team Rocket cower!_

As they ate, the conversation slowed, but did not completely stop. Eventually, Aparri said, "What's the plan after Jubilife City? Are we going north or south?"

Lucas consulted Andromeda. He didn't necessarily like allowing the older boy to be the de facto leader of the group, but he did recognize that he was the oldest one of the three. Perhaps it wouldn't do too much harm to have it be this way.

"I say we go north" Andromeda said. "There's Floaroma City, Eterna Forest, Eterna City, and then we can go all the way up to Snowpoint City. While Lucas has a point, that we should enjoy Jubilife City while we can, I think that it's important that we go to Snowpoint before the winter sets in".

It was no secret that Snowpoint City winters were absolutely brutal. Sometimes, there was as much as thirty feet of snow, the same amount that the region's top ski resorts could get in a year.

"Do you have a map?" he asked Solanna. She was the one with whom the group had entrusted their only map of Sinnoh. If her backpack turned out to be very cluttered, they would end up regretting that decision for sure.

"Yeah" the girl replied. She dug into her backpack and pulled out the map of Sinnoh.

"So...we're here" Andromeda said. He pointed to Jubilife  
City, in the southwestern part of the region. "If we want to get to Snowpoint City eventually, we should take Routes 204, 205, 211, 216, and 217. Man...that's a _long_ way up there".

As Lucas looked at the map, his strawberry pancakes suddenly didn't taste so good. "That's a long way" he echoed. He hadn't had a problem with echoing when he was younger, and he didn't have it now either, but it was hard not to go along with the sentiment.

The path between Eterna City and Snowpoint City looked as though it went on for five hundred miles. Okay, maybe not _that_ far, but you get the point.

"Which is why I say we do things fairly quickly. It's already June 24. If we spend two weeks here, and it takes us another week to get to Eterna Forest...that path is probably two weeks, maybe three, of walking".

Lucas gulped. "Like I said...long way".

"I can handle it, boss" Orkun said. "I think that all of the Pokemon here can agree. Our bodies _are_ quite durable, after all. Can the same be said about humans?"

The boy couldn't help but laugh in response. "I mean...I suppose they are. But let's just head to the hotel after this and check in, then go to the battling courts. We've already done a lot today, and it's not even half past ten".

It was no secret that today was going to be a very busy day. It never had been.

The trainers paid for their meal and left the restaurant. After that, they began their search for a hotel.

This didn't take nearly as long as the search for the restaurant had taken. Almost immediately after they turned the corner, they found the Monopoli Grand Hotel. It looked expensive, but Lucas had no doubt that they could afford it.

"How much money is in our account?" Solanna asked once they got to the hotel's ATM. Solanna had had an account of her own, but she'd merged her account with the other two, and now they all had the same monetary supply.

"Let's see…" Lucas said. He punched in their bank passcode, then looked at the number. "It says here that our balance is $36,981".

"Nice" Andromeda replied. "We can probably stay here for a week, then. Depending, of course, on how much this place costs".

"I can imagine", Lucas said, "that it's pretty expensive. You really came through, Mom and Dad!"

Of course, his parents couldn't hear him, but, had they been able to, the young boy had no doubt that they'd be happy at just how grateful their son was for all the sacrifices they had made in order to raise him.

That reminded Lucas of something. He should probably call his mother at home before they got up to the room.

"I'll go call my mother" he told the others. Then, he walked over to the pay phone and dialled the number for home.

She picked up almost immediately. "Hey, Lucas" Aubry said. "Are you enjoying your journey?"

"You bet!" he replied as enthusiastically as possible. "I made another new friend. Her name's Solanna".

"Solanna…" Aubry replied. "You know, that's an interesting name. Can't say I've met anybody with that name before".

"Yeah, well, it's not that common" her son said. "But it's very nice to know her. Would you like to speak with her?"

"Why not?" Mrs. Snow said. "Can you get her on the phone, please?"

"Sure thing, Mom".

Lucas then turned to Solanna. "My mother wants to meet you" he said to her. "We're not in trouble or anything like that, she'd just love to talk to you after I mentioned you to her".

"That's fine" the girl replied. "Give me the phone".

After he did so, Solanna launched into a conversation with Aubry. "Hello, Mrs. Snow. It's Solanna".

"Oh, please, call me Aubry. And you have a very nice voice, you know. Have you ever been told that?".

"Yes, I have". _Tons of times,_ she considered adding, although she ultimately decided against it.

"I hope that you are having a good time with my son" Aubry told the girl. "I've always been worried about him going out on his own, and I'm glad that you seem to be helping him. From what he's told me, Andromeda has been helping him as well".

"We've all been helping him" Solanna replied. "But I don't mind doing that. I like Lucas. I really do".

"He talks about his own interests a lot" Lucas's mother said. "Other than that, he's a pretty awesome person to be around. Of course, I'm his mother, so I'd say that anyway, but it is true".

"Indeed it is".

The two of them talked for a while, and then Solanna handed the phone back to Lucas. He said a quick good-bye to his mother, and then hung up the phone.

"Are you two done talking to Lucas's mom?" Andromeda asked.

"Yes, we are" Solanna said. "Let's get our room now, and then we can talk more. But right now, I just want to make sure that we can stay here".

The man behind the desk told them that a room for three would cost a pretty hefty sum, nearly a thousand dollars a night, but the three trainers figured that they could afford to splurge a little.

As they were led up to their room, Lucas was struck by just how hard it was to see too much of the city. Even though their room was on the eighth floor, that didn't help too much, since they were practically surrounded by skyscrapers.

Once they were in the room, the three trainers were completely and totally awestruck.

There was a large table in the middle of the room, with a plate of sliced fruit. Four plush armchairs with golden yellow cushions surrounded it, and it was all on top of a fuzzy yellow rug. The floor was made of brown wood, and there were two bedrooms on either side, one with two beds and one with just one. There were also two bathrooms.

"This is more like an apartment than a hotel" Bayon said. "It almost reminds me of where I used to live".

After the others looked at him inquisitively, he held up his arms to defend himself.

Inside of his mind, however, the Machop was thinking, _Oh...shit._

* * *

 **Even though Bayon is a Machop, I had images in my head of Dobby the house-elf from the _Harry Potter_ books. You all know what I'm talking about, how he always punishes himself whenever he feels that he has done something wrong. Sometimes he reminds me a little of myself as well, but that's another story.**

 **In any case, I hope you liked this chapter, and I can't wait to see what you think about it.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop (Level 8).**


	23. Jubilife Training

**I would like to say that Stephen Hawking, who passed just this morning, will be dearly missed. He outlived his prognosis by 53 years, which, if you ask me, is pretty impressive. He definitely made this world a much better place.**

 **I would also like to congratulate Conor Lamb on an upset victory in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District. As of my time posting this, Lamb is in the lead by 677 votes, or roughly three-tenths of one percent. This was an extremely thrilling race to watch, and I watched it with my extended family in an Irish pub. But that's enough about politics.**

 **This is also my longest chapter yet, so there's that as well. I hope you can find something to say about it.**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 201X - 11:55 AM**

 **JUBILIFE CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 82 DEGREES**

Owing to the fact that they had had a late, large breakfast, none of the children were very hungry at all. As a result, they decided to pass on lunch, at least for now, and head to a gym in order to train.

Well, _gym_ might not have been the most accurate word. There was no proper gym in Jubilife City, and no gym leader. However, there were quite a few places that trainers could help their Pokemon, well, train for future battles.

One would think that, based on the number of them, these smaller gyms would be fairly easy to find.

They'd be wrong.

The fact of the matter was, even though they had several locations that they could have gone to, none of them were marked on the map of the subway. Besides, the subway system itself was extremely confusing to read, far worse than that of Hearthome City.

Lucas supposed that it stood to reason that it was like that. After all, while Hearthome City had been built for children, Jubilife City practically looked like it was built _by_ children.

Of course, that hadn't been the case, but it was best described as "organized chaos". People in Jubilife still followed the same regional laws as those from Hearthome, but everything just seemed more complicated there. Hearthome City, by contrast, was far simpler and more organized.

Given the choice between the two cities, Lucas knew which one he preferred. Hearthome City, without a doubt.

The three trainers rode the subway for a while, Lucas and Andromeda holding handles attached to the ceiling while Solanna sat in a chair. As always seemed to be the case lately, Andromeda was the one handling the navigational difficulties. To Lucas, the subway map simply looked like a conglomerate of multicolored lines, all intermixed with each other to create something that looked like a first grader had drawn it.

They switched from the purple line to the orange line, and then to the green line. Lucas felt almost like a blind man holding onto the back of Andromeda's backpack. That was how little he knew the area, how far out of his element he was.

 _No matter,_ he told himself. _It's all going to be fine. We're going to get there, and then we're going to train our Pokemon against each other. And then we'll move on to the next city._

"We're here" Andromeda finally said. "This is our stop, Lucas, Solanna".

The younger boy realized that he had been in a sort of daze as he looked over at the older boy. Andromeda led them out of the subway car and onto the platform, which was quite crowded. It was very easy to get lost in the crowd if one didn't keep a close eye on their party.

"The gym's somewhere around here...it should be pretty easy to find".

The key words in that sentence were _should be._

In spite of all of their best efforts, it still took nearly half an hour to find the place once they were in the proper district. It was a good quarter of a mile from the train station, and the children had gone half a mile in completely the wrong direction, before turning around and heading back again.

"Are we _ever_ going to find this place?" Solanna asked. She was lagging slightly behind the boys, which was no surprise, since, between the three of them, she was definitely the one in the worst shape.

"We will eventually" Lucas replied, trying to stay optimistic. He had to fight the urge not to say, _And shut your trap,_ although it was implied. He tried to keep the venom out of his voice, but it was difficult. Very difficult.

After searching for what felt like forever, they finally found the gym.

"What I don't understand is, why didn't they put any signs anywhere near it?" Andromeda asked. "I mean, if they want people to find the place, that would only make sense, wouldn't it?"

Of course, since Lucas had already established inside his head that this city hadn't been designed in a smart way, that question practically already answered itself. However, he did pay lip service to the others, using small words whenever either of them made a point.

They entered the building and reserved, for two hours, three battling courts out of the nine that the place contained. That would be enough for each person's Pokemon to practice with fighting each other.

"Okay" Andromeda said. "I think that we should have Orkun battle Vinaka, Tai battle Soko, and Aparri battle Bayon. How does that sound?"

After both of the other two announced their consent to that, Solanna took the court to Lucas's right, while Andromeda took the one to his left. They all got out their Pokeballs, and the battles began.

Even though a battle was taking place on both sides of Lucas, the boy was mostly only able to pay attention to the one between the two of his Pokemon. It was tough to focus on two things at once, and it was no different for an autistic person like Lucas. He saw that, right away, it was clear who appeared to have the upper hand.

Orkun shot an Aura Sphere at Vinaka, but she was able to dodge it. After that, the Vulpix began scampering around the court, coming close to banging on the metal fence that separated the courts. Of course, Vinaka knew that would do no good; the walls were designed to be completely secure, at least from what Lucas could tell.

"Go, Vinaka! Use Tail Whip to deflect those Aura Spheres back at him!"

"Oh, great, so now you're on _her_ team?" Orkun replied caustically, not sounding happy one bit. Indeed, he sounded pretty pissed at the fact that Lucas was giving Vinaka tips and not him.

"I try to be impartial" his master replied. "It can be quite hard sometimes".

For a moment, Orkun looked at Lucas as though he were about to fire an Aura Sphere at him. However, in doing so, the Lucario lost valuable time, time that he could have used to get away from Vinaka's Tail Whip.

In order to prove, at least to himself, that he was capable of being impartial, Lucas paid his attention to the other two matches going on. Because, quite frankly, those were pretty interesting as well.

In the battle to his left, Tai was in a dead heat with Soko. Both creatures were using Tackle to limited effect, as they were both able to dodge each other's attacks. Lucas knew that, eventually, something would have to give. He was having a very good time watching that match.

And, almost immediately, he felt guilty for it. _Why does watching Pokemon battle give me such a rush?_ , he wondered. _It really shouldn't. I don't like seeing Pokemon get hurt._

Of course, Lucas did know better than that. Pokemon battles were completely non-lethal, as was required by law. Any trainers who broke that law, on purpose or not, could face up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to a quarter of a million dollars. The saying, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" was very true in this case.

Battling was intended as a method for Pokemon to bond with their trainers. For many, this seemed questionable at best, but Lucas was very well acquainted with this concept. He shouldn't have been feeling guilty just for enjoying the activity of watching Pokemon battle.

On the other side of him, Aparri and Bayon were duking it out. Aparri used Smokescreen almost immediately after Lucas started watching that battle, and Bayon had trouble landing attacks. Aparri was able to burn the Machop slightly, but it didn't hurt the creature that much.

Once the Smokescreen finally dissipated, Bayon was finally able to land a Karate Chop on Aparri. It sent the Charmander flying backwards into the wall, and he slid down it. It looked quite painful to Lucas, and the boy thought that there was no way Aparri would be able to continue fighting...but, amazingly, he was able to pull it off, getting back up after only four seconds.

Lucas was spontaneously reminded of something that had happened just yesterday, during the battle with Roark. It was hard to believe that it was only the day before, but he supposed that so much had happened in the last twenty-four hours that he was justified in being shocked by that.

He remembered how he hadn't been paying attention to his own Pokemon, not noticing that Orkun was flagging. That had caused the Lucario to get knocked out. In a way, it hadn't really mattered; they'd won the battle anyway. Still, Lucas couldn't help but feel guilty about that. He'd resolved to try harder to pay attention to Orkun and Vinaka...now was the chance to put that into practice.

Orkun had managed to recover from the Tail Whip quite well, and was now back on his feet. The Lucario fired another Aura Sphere at Vinaka, face looking deadly serious. This wasn't a playful battle anymore; this would be a duel until one opponent was bloodied and bruised.

Of course, Vinaka and Orkun were quite good friends, at least from what Lucas could tell. Granted, the boy frequently wasn't the best at perceiving these sorts of things, and, as a result, wasn't quite sure of that. But it certainly appeared as though they were. Neither of them were going to be seriously hurt; nothing that a few minutes inside a healing machine at a Pokemon center wouldn't fix.

Vinaka began using Ember in order to try and burn the Lucario. Since Orkun was a Steel type, this move would be especially effective against him. Knowing this, the Lucario ran away until he had leaped onto the wall. Looking back and forth, he sprung forward and tackled the Vulpix.

This brought Vinaka down, but only for a few seconds, not enough that a referee would have called the battle for Orkun. After that, the Vulpix got back up and continued to use Tail Whip in the hopes of taking the Lucario down.

Lucas couldn't help but allow his eyes to drift to the other two battles that were taking place. Bayon had already managed to take down Aparri, which surprised the young boy. The Machop really had been an underdog, or so it had seemed to Lucas. Perhaps he hadn't been the underdog that Lucas had led himself to believe.

On the court to his left, Soko was still about even with Tai, or so it seemed. It was impossible to tell how much a Pokemon was hurting on the inside just by looking at how many hits they were taking on the outside. That was something that Lucas kept reminding himself; even if it looked like Soko had the upper hand, it was very possible that Tai would be able to outlast him.

 _Damn it,_ Lucas thought. _I need to pay attention to my own Pokemon, don't I?_

Ah, yes, that age-old problem. Lucas hoped that he was going to be able to fix it, but he knew that all of the responsibility for being able to do so rested firmly on his own shoulders. It was his fault that he was unable to pay attention to Orkun and Vinaka.

With a quick Metal Claw, Orkun was able to take out Vinaka, who flew into the wall and slid to the ground, much like Aparri had done. However, she didn't get up this time.

"Well, I suppose that that's that" Lucas said. Even though he knew that Vinaka couldn't hear him, he said, "I'll put you back in your Pokeball, and then we're going to have the winners battle".

Okay, those last few words might have been rude had he said them when the Vulpix was conscious. Now, however, he said these words with the knowledge that Vinaka would never know he had said them, and he was able to have peace with that.

Not long afterwards, Soko defeated Tai in a hard-fought battle. The charged Tackle had simply been too much for the Turtwig to overcome, and he'd gone down as a result of it. All three matches were over.

"Do you want the winners to duke it out with each other?" Lucas asked the other two. "Or do you think we should just go?"

Tai, Vinaka, and Aparri had all been placed in their Pokeballs, while Bayon, Orkun, and Soko were all prepared for another battle. Soko and Bayon did look pretty tired, though. Even though they had won their battles, they appeared to be fairly beaten up, which was not a good sign for a potential three-way battle. It appeared, the way things were going, that Orkun would crush both of them in such a battle.

Just then, a voice came from far away. "Hey" it said.

The voice sounded decidedly male and youthful, there was no doubt about it. It sounded youthful but not childish, wise but not old. Something about that voice was just _stellar._

It belonged to a boy who looked to be about fourteen years old, so slightly older than Lucas. However, he was slightly shorter, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was also thinner than Lucas, meaning that he had evidently not hit his growth spurt yet.

"Hello" Andromeda said. "Did you want to train with us or something like that?"

"That would be pretty cool" the boy replied. "Are the three of you journeying as a group, or are you going solo?"

"Group" Solanna said from the cage furthest from Andromeda. "We're just travelling, seeing the world, and training our Pokemon. Do you want to come with us?"

"Uh, Solanna…", Andromeda began, "...that's a little premature, is it not?"

"Sorry" the girl replied. "I just get really excited sometimes".

The new guy waved his hand. "It's not a problem. My name's Tanner, by the way. Tanner Warren. I was going to take my Pokemon to battle against each other, but...I didn't know if I really wanted to do that".

"Understandable" Lucas replied. "I see why you wouldn't want to force your own Pokemon to do battle against each other".

"Quite" Tanner said. "You see...I've got a Chimchar named Tavua and a Zorua named Zapatera. I only got them pretty recently, and I've been trying to get my parents to let me go on a journey _forever._ They're not giving in, though".

Indeed, whenever Tanner's seeming spirit for adventure and his parents' desire to keep him safe at home clashed, after a while, something was going to have to give. After all, that had been the attitude of his parents when _he_ had wanted to go on a journey.

"Can we meet Tavua and Zapatera?" Solanna asked. "I want to get to know them before we have the battle. You did want to battle with us, right?"

"Yeah. How about you battle Zapatera? She's my strongest".

Lucas made a cursory glance at each of the winning Pokemon from their bouts. He tried to analyze which one would likely be the strongest in a matchup with Zapatera.

"Orkun" he said eventually. "You're going to be the one".

"I'm pretty tired" the Lucario said. "But I'm going to do it".

"Yay!" Lucas exclaimed.

Tanner pulled a Pokeball out of the backpack he'd been wearing and threw it on the ground. "Zapatera, action!"

A Zorua appeared out of the Pokeball, and it was very clear to tell that this one was female. As far as Lucas knew, there weren't any special features that distinguished the females from the males, but something about Zapatera just appeared female.

Orkun stood in his corner. Lucas could see the determination in the Lucario's eyes. There was no way that Orkun was going to let himself lose to the Zorua.

"By the way", Tanner said, "Zapatera is Level 20. She can use Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, and Scary Face. She won't evolve into a Zoroark for ten more levels still, but I think she'll put up quite a fight against your Lucario".

"We'll see about that" Lucas replied, trying to sound smug but not rude. He said, "Are you ready for the battle to begin?"

"Sure as hell am" replied Tanner.

Almost immediately, the two Pokemon started going after each other, and it was clear that this battle was going to be very hard-fought. Lucas knew that Orkun probably had more strength, but that didn't really mean anything when one considered the fact that he was tired out from his battle with Vinaka. He figured that it'd be a fairly even match.

Orkun readied an Aura Sphere, the same way he had so many times before, while Zapatera ran towards the Lucario. Both boys were on edge, trying to see how this would go.

It turned out that this was a big mistake for the Zorua. Had Zapatera been thinking a little more clearly, she wouldn't have done that.

Orkun had been able to shoot an Aura Sphere right at Zapatera, and she went flying. Luckily for her, the Zorua was able to get back on her feet almost immediately, and didn't appear too much worse off from it.

"Orkun! Use Metal Claw!" Lucas exclaimed.

The Lucario did so, and the Zorua was sent backwards once again. Lucas could see that Tanner was beginning to sweat now - he hadn't expected the battle to be this difficult for him to win, and yet, unless something major happened in his favor, it sure looked as though he were about to lose it.

The two Pokemon began circling around each other, like two lions considering going in for the kill on each other. This happened for what felt like a minute; the tension was so thick that even a bread knife might not have been sufficient to cut it.

Zapatera used Fury Swipes on Orkun, and it did have an effect. A long, thin red scratch appeared on the Lucario's left leg. It didn't appear to be bleeding too heavily, but any blood loss would be a big problem for the Lucario. Thankfully, he didn't appear to be dizzy or anything like that.

 _This battle is intense,_ Lucas thought to himself. _He is GOOD._

Indeed, Tanner's Zorua was highly skilled at what she was doing. Orkun was already having to hold a paw to his leg in order to stop the flow of blood, but it wasn't working. Not very well, anyway.

After another Fury Swipes, which Orkun barely dodged, and a third, which appeared to make another hit, this time on his right leg, Zapatera began smirking. The Zorua knew that she now had the upper hand; the Lucario was in big trouble.

It was going to be a tough decision no matter what. Lucas really didn't want to make it, but he remembered something his mother had told him on the night before he left. Those words came back to him in full force, and he couldn't help but feel a little homesick when he thought of them again.

 _Lucas, sometimes you need to know when to quit. If it looks like your Pokemon cannot possibly win a battle, there is no point in dragging it on any longer. It's not a good idea to allow Orkun to suffer any longer than necessary._

As much as he hated to think of it, he knew, deep down, that her words were true. Sometimes, he did need to know when to quit.

"I CONCEDE!" he yelled.

Solanna and Andromeda looked at him weirdly. "You are giving up the fight?"

Orkun looked back at his master quizzically. "You're giving up? Boss, I'm fine; I can keep going for hours. But you want us to stop?"

"You just called me _boss"_ Lucas replied, trying not to sound imperious. "That means that I'm the boss of you, which means that you have to do what I say. And what I say is that the match is over. Tanner, you won".

Tanner started beaming. "Thanks, Lucas. I guess I did win. Congratulations, Zapatera".

"Yeah, conglaturation" Lucas said. "Evidently, she's stronger than she looks".

Lucas just realized that he'd slipped. Sometimes, he didn't realize he'd said something wrong until it was too late to take it back, and this was definitely one of those times. He couldn't believe that he'd slipped up this badly.

"Congrats, too, Orkun" Solanna said. "You put up quite a fight, but you need to rest now. We'll take you to a Pokemon center and get you healed. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good, Solanna" the Lucario replied weakly. He was still bleeding from both of his wounds, the blood running down his legs and forming a small pool at his feet.

"See?" Lucas said, in order to make a point. "You can't go on. It would be _foolish_ to go on at this rate".

At first, Orkun nodded. Then, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the ground.

Andromeda chuckled. "I guess that we've seen evidence of that. You really did show good judgment there, Lucas".

"Thanks; I try" the youngest boy replied. "Anyway, let's get this guy to a Pokemon center and heal him up. Tanner, you want to come with us?"

"I don't see why not" Tanner replied. Ever since he had won the battle, he'd remained pretty much dead silent. "I'll travel with you three if you'd like. But my parents should probably meet with you first. They might feel safer if they know that I'll be with three other people".

"They will?" Solanna asked. Then, realizing what she was saying, she continued. "Of course they will. Never mind".

"Indeed" Tanner said. "Let's head to the Pokemon center, and then I'll show you where I live".

* * *

Sam was very frustrated indeed.

He'd finally reached Jubilife City; luckily, it wasn't a very long way away from Oreburgh City. He'd been told that he was on the edge of being fired, something that unnerved him a great deal, but he didn't let it show. After all, if he let the people know that he was a member of Team Rocket, the results would not be good for him.

It was a very good thing indeed that he wasn't wearing the traditional Team Rocket outfit. The black shirt with the red letter R sewn onto it would have been a dead giveaway, and he didn't need that, to put it mildly.

As he walked along the alleyways of Jubilife City, he tried not to look too suspicious. He knew that if he did, it was very much possible that he'd get caught.

 _This is my last chance,_ he reminded himself. _If I let them slip through my fingers again...there goes my job...I can't have that. I can't._

Eventually, he found a coffee shop that lay at the edge of a street corner. He walked inside and waited in line. Using some cash that he'd been given at the start of the mission, he bought a frappuccino and an apple fritter.

Once his items had arrived, he waited by the window, looking for any sign of the children. He was aware, however, that any attempt to grab them would be a complete and total exercise in futility. There were simply too many witnesses around to make such an attempt worth it.

 _I guess it's back to the good ol' waiting game,_ Sam thought to himself. _We'll have to see if they come around here. But I don't think they will._

As always, the fear of being fired was fresh in his mind. If he got sacked, he'd have nowhere else to go. He'd probably end up on the streets, and that was one thing he _really_ didn't want.

 _I have to find the children. I just have to._

* * *

 **And there is that. This story makes its way over the 75,000-word mark, which, if you ask me, is quite a decent number. I'm thinking that it'll probably be between a seventh and a sixth of a million words by the time it is over, but we'll see.**

 **I can't wait to see what you guys thought of it!**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop (Level 8).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 17). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face (Level 20).**


	24. The Penthouse

**Today's going to be a good day.**

 **I'm currently at a family reunion in Canada. I'm going to cross an item off my bucket list today. This story hit 3,500 views. There's a lot of good news.**

 **Anyway, I'm starting a submit-your-own-tribute Hunger Games, and I'm in desperate need of characters. It's not an interactive story; there will be no sponsor system. But if you wish to submit a character, be sure to check my profile and see which slots are still open.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 201X - 4:31 PM**

 **JUBILIFE CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 82 DEGREES**

For the last few hours, Tanner had been showing the other three around Jubilife City. It had been just a cursory tour, nothing more, since the city was so massive.

"Remember that this really is a huge city" the new boy reminded them. "It's really just the interesting parts I'm showing you".

Tavua and Zapatera were walking outside of their Pokeballs, but the other six Pokemon in their group remained confined in their stasis chambers. The reason for this, Tanner explained, was so that they didn't attract too much attention.

"For a city of its size". Tanner said, "this really is a safe city. But just to be safe, I don't think it's a good idea to draw attention to ourselves, because that's just not a good idea, ever, when you're in public".

Lucas really could admire the new guy. He might only have been a year older than him, but he was more street smart than Lucas was. The younger boy was more book smart, in a way; he had poor executive functioning skills, at least partly due to his autism.

They arrived at what looked like a large public park. Baseball fields, basketball courts, battling courts, fields of flowers, and even a pond were all present. It was so large that Lucas couldn't see to the end of it.

"They call this park the Oasis" Tanner said.

"Hard not to see why" Andromeda replied. "Is the reason what I think it is?"

"Well", the middle boy said, "an oasis is a fertile area in the middle of a desert, where palm trees grow and everything like that. In a way, this park is like an oasis of calm in the middle of Jubilife City. And I've gotta say, I really love it for that".

"That's the reason I imagined" Andromeda said.

"So...you live near here?" Solanna asked. "It seems as though you come here often".

"The answer to both of those questions is yes" Tanner replied. "My apartment building is just a little ways away from here. We'll be there in ten minutes".

After crossing the central green of the park and another street or two, they reached the outside of a building called the Monopoli Building. It was a veritable skyscraper; it had to be at least fifty stories tall.

"This is where you live?" Lucas asked. The hotel they were staying at was called the Monopoli Grand Hotel - was Monopoli some rich businessman or something? If not, why else might his name be plastered all over so many things?

"It is" Tanner said. "I live in the penthouse apartment. Everything's gold there, even the toilet seats".

"Wait...really?" Solanna asked.

"Okay, not _really._ Not everything's gold; honestly, my parents would probably think that was too artificial".

 _Too artificial, huh?,_ Lucas thought. _Well, this whole city seems pretty artificial to me. Granted, all cities are in some way...but let's see this place._

The four children headed into the elevator, and Tanner pressed the button for the 56th floor, which, according to the floor guide, was the top floor of the building. This was no surprise to Lucas, or anyone else, since Tanner _had_ said that he lived in the penthouse suite.

The elevator went on upwards, and Lucas couldn't help but think about the last time he'd been in an elevator. It had, after all, been only yesterday that he was in that one, and the thought of being in another elevator chilled him to the bone. Right now, there were shivers running down his spine.

Of course, he knew that this time he wasn't sinking deep into the Earth. He could take a little bit of comfort in that, but not a lot of it. The fact remained that he was once again in an elevator.

 _What if it breaks down?,_ he thought. _What are the odds of that? And, if it does break down, what are the odds that we can get out of there alive?_

After what felt like far too long, the elevator finally reached the 56th floor. Tanner led the way into the corridor, but there was only one door there.

"This is my apartment" he said. "Take off your shoes as soon as you enter, because my parents like everything squeaky clean here. I suppose that you could call them neat freaks, but that's putting it mildly".

Lucas couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious at that. He had always considered himself something of a neat freak, but only when it came to germs. His actual room at home was as messy as they came. At least, it had been before they had left on this journey.

"Tavua and Zapatera can come out of their Pokeballs now. They're well-trained; they're trusted well in order to keep this place clean, even if they do walk around it a lot".

"I see" Andromeda replied, although it was clear to tell that he was only paying lip service to Tanner.

"Tanner!" called a female voice.

"Mom! I'm home!" the boy announced. "And I brought company today!"

Just then, a woman came into view. She was probably at least as old, if not a few years older, than Lucas's parents, with graying blonde hair. She was slightly stout, with her light blonde hair parted to both sides and glasses.

"Who are these children?" Mrs. Warren asked. "I have certainly never seen them before".

"I just met them today" Tanner replied. "They're all going on a journey together, and we met each other when we were training at the courts. They want me to come with them".

Mrs. Warren looked at her son, seeming rather shocked. "We'll have to talk about this over dinner. He _did_ invite you guys over to dinner, didn't he?"

"Yes" Lucas replied. "He did".

"It's time to prepare the kitchens for more people. The servants are going to be extra busy".

"Yes, yes, they will be" Mrs. Warren said.

"Wait...you have servants?" Solanna asked. "Lucky!"

"We're...how do you say it...rich" Tanner replied sheepishly. "We've got chefs and cleaners who help with household chores. But they did make sure that I could do my own laundry, though".

"And I'm glad that I did" his mother said. "Because you're going to grow into a self-sufficient man. Let me tell you, on the subject of a journey, these three might be just the people you should do it with. But, like I said, let's discuss it over dinner".

"Okay" Tanner said.

Lucas was able to take in the foyer of the apartment very well now. It looked almost like the artwork of a cathedral dedicated to Arceus, with an incredibly realistic rendering of a starry sky overhead. If one had a good enough imagination, they could almost make themself believe that they were indeed looking upward at the night sky.

The foyer itself was enormous; there was a living room with a carpet and chairs, next to a floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the Oasis. From so high, it seemed so small, but they were able to tell just how far the park went on for. It was quite impressive.

"And here's the dining room" Tanner said, showing them the place. The other three children couldn't help but gasp when they saw it.

The room was quite impressive, and even that might have been an understatement. There was one large, long table that extended from one edge of the room to the other, with only about four feet in between. The table was made out of marble, much like the island at Lucas's home.

"I like this place" Solanna said. "This is nothing like our apartment in Saffron City".

Tanner looked curiously at the girl. "You live in Kanto? Nice. I've been there quite a few times in my life".

 _With a family this rich, I can tell that he does,_ was what Lucas thought. Of course, he'd been travelling before, but he'd only been to Kanto on one occasion. He couldn't help but dream of going there again in the future; that would be pretty incredible.

Servants brought out wine glasses, which surprised Lucas. Weren't they all underage? This didn't make any sense, not at all.

"Don't worry, it's not wine" Tanner said.

The youngest boy of the three looked at his glass. He could tell that the middle boy was right; the beverage contained within did not appear to be wine at all. Rather, it was something that was a brighter red color. Something nonalcoholic.

Andromeda lifted his glass off the table and took a sip. "It tastes like seltzer water mixed with cranberry juice".

"Not surprising, considering that's exactly what it is" Tanner replied, winking at the oldest boy. "Don't drink it too fast, because, let me tell you, that thing packs quite a punch".

Right on cue, Andromeda took a big gulp of his drink and grimaced, showing everybody present that one should not drink carbonated beverages too quickly.

"All right" Tanner said. "They'll come in with an appetizer. It's usually soup of some sort".

"I like soup" Solanna replied. "I'm looking forward to it".

"That's good".

The trainers all took their seats at the table, and servants came around, placing bowls in front of them. Lucas saw what was in his dish, and it looked quite fancy.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Don't be rude, Lucas" Andromeda said firmly. "You don't want to insult the cooking here".

Lucas held up his hands in self-defense. "I'm not meaning to insult their cooking, I was just wondering what this was. I've never eaten soup like this before".

"They're just meatballs" one of the servants replied. "Meatball soup. It might look a little different, that's because they're golden meatballs".

 _Golden meatballs. This guy is LOADED._

Lucas was familiar with meatball soup. His mother would often make it for him whenever he would get sick. As he bit into one of the meatballs, he noticed that it didn't taste any different from a regular meatball. The gold color must have only been for aesthetics.

Orkun took a seat to the right of the autistic boy, while Vinaka took the seat to his left. Each trainer present was flanked by each of his or her Pokemon, which Lucas thought was pretty cool. It was serving to demonstrate the sheer amount of dedication that the Pokemon had to their trainers. This made Lucas suspect that Tanner had known his Pokemon for a longer time than he had been letting on.

They continued eating their soup, and Andromeda eventually said, "So...when is your mother coming?"

"Pretty soon" Tanner replied. "She usually doesn't join me for the appetizer. My father does, when he's home. He's the mayor of Jubilife City, so…".

"Hold up, bro" Lucas said. "Your father is the _mayor of Jubilife City_?"

"Yes; how else do you think we got so rich? Really, I rather like it here; this penthouse is absolutely amazing".

"I can imagine. Can I see your bedroom?"

"After dinner".

Just then, Tanner's mother entered the room, as well as a man whom Lucas could only assume was Tanner's father. Tanner's father was a tall, thin, white-haired man with glasses.

"My name's Kevin Warren" the man said. "I'm Tanner's father, and I'm pleased to meet you guys".

"Thanks" Lucas replied. The man really did look as though he meant it. He was wearing a great big smile on his face, and, for a politician, he looked quite genuine.

"I'm Andromeda Watson" the boy bearing that name said. "I met Lucas about a week and a half ago, and we've been travelling together ever since. It's very nice to meet you".

"You two seem very close for having only known each other for a week and a half" Kevin said. "I mean, I guess that when you're travelling together, that would make sense".

"Indeed it does" Lucas said. "I'm Lucas Snow. I'm from Gardenia, a town outside of Pastoria City. It's a nice, small town. Also…".

Clearly able to tell what Lucas was about to say next, Andromeda gave the younger boy a stern look. _Don't do it. Don't tell them that._

"It's nothing" he said out loud. "Anyway...Solanna".

"I'm Solanna, from Saffron City. I joined up with both of them a few days ago. And...well, I think that your wife wants to talk to your son".

"Yeah" Mrs. Warner said. "I want to know why you brought these three with you. After all, it's not often that Tanner brings home his friends".

"About that…" said Andromeda. "Tanner, do you want to tell them the reason? Or do you want me to?"

"Sure. My mother actually already knows, but Dad, you don't know what's going on. The gist of it is…".

"Spit it out" Mrs. Warner said sternly. "It's not as though we're expecting some dramatic reveal. Your father wants to know what the reason is".

"Okay" Tanner replied. "I want to go on a journey with these three. They seem quite nice to me, and I really do think that I'll be able to become more self-sufficient. After all, you want me to grow into a distinguished statesman like yourself, right?"

"Well...yeah" Kevin replied. "But in order to do that, it's not as though you need to all out on your own. You could learn other talents, like…".

"Like what?" Tanner asked. "Piano playing? There are other ways to grow as a person than to just impress others. You have to do some things that you enjoy as well. I want to travel. I want to see new places. I'm going to have a great time with them".

"Okay, then" his father said.

Lucas was quite surprised by that reply. He hadn't expected Kevin to cave in that quickly. If anything, he'd thought that Tanner's father would put up quite a fight. He'd heard plenty of stories of rich parents who were very overprotective of their children and wouldn't let them do _anything_ that might be even the slightest bit dangerous.

Of course, Lucas knew that it was silly to think that way. _Any_ activity carried some degree of risk. For all that he knew, his Pokemon might get stolen by poachers. He might get attacked. He might get heat stroke again.

Initially, Lucas had wanted to begin his journey so that he could gain more self-confidence. He wanted to prove that he _could_ take risks. He'd wanted to prove that he was going to be able to get out of his shell.

Now, Tanner was in the same position. Hopefully, he would be able to convince his parents to let him go with the others, because, from what Lucas had seen of Tanner, he was a really cool guy. It would be so sweet to get to travel with him.

"You're fine with it?" Tanner asked his father.

Kevin nodded. "Honestly, it's not as though I was expecting you'd want to stay here. Besides, I think that you can stay safe. Honestly, travelling in a group is the scenario that makes me feel the most safe with letting you go out there".

 _I suppose Tanner's parents are more protective than mine,_ Lucas thought to himself. His own parents had allowed him to go on the journey alone, but Tanner was struggling to persuade _his_ parents to let him go, even when there would be three other trainers to protect him. And, as far as Lucas knew, the rich boy wasn't autistic.

The cooks brought out the main course, which appeared to be steak. Lucas's family had steak occasionally, but not often. This looked to be a very fancy type of steak, something that he wasn't used to seeing on his dinner plate.

As they started eating, Lucas's mouth was watering. This was, hands-down, the best steak he had ever eaten. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that he now knew Tanner Warren, and they were quite possibly going to add someone new to their group.

"So…" Tanner said. "Mom, are you okay with it? Dad is?"

Mrs. Warren scratched her chin. "I mean...I still have concerns. Do you promise to call me every single day? Or e-mail me?"

Her son nodded. "If that's what you want".

"No ziplining".

"Uh...okay" Lucas said. That seemed kind of random to him, mentioning that he wasn't allowed to go ziplining, but it was whatever.

"Did I ask you?" Mrs. Warren asked sternly. "I was only talking to my son".

"We'll keep him safe" Solanna promised. "Right, Andromeda?"

"Sure will".

"Enough" Kevin said. "Like my wife said, we're only talking to my son right now. Tanner, do you promise to do those things".

"I do" Tanner replied, without hesitation.

"All right" his mother said. "I'm okay with it".

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop (Level 8).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 17). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face (Level 20).**


	25. After Dinner

**I'm at twenty-five chapters now! I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but it really is just a transition chapter. A lot more is going to happen in the next one, trust me.**

 **I'm leaving Canada today and heading back to the States. It was quite a great trip overall. Not only did I get to see two uncles, two aunts, and my cousins, but I got to go ziplining for the first time. Soaring above the trees...there is no greater feeling of euphoria in the world.**

 **Anyway, the chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 201X - 5:45 PM**

 **JUBILIFE CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 82 DEGREES**

"Really?" Tanner said. "I can go?"

"I see no reason why not" his mother replied. "If your father's okay with it, I don't see why I shouldn't be. It's your life".

"That's true" Kevin said. "I didn't think about that, but it's true. I really do think, Tanner, that you're going to have a good time. And these three will make sure that you are safe. Right, Lucas?"

Lucas smiled. "I'm going to do everything in my power to do that. I can't move mountains or anything like that, but I'm going to protect him in any way I can".

Tanner gave Lucas an interesting look, almost as though he didn't _want_ to be protected. Lucas knew all too well what it was like to have overprotective parents; it wasn't a good feeling, not in the least.

They continued eating their steak, and the conversation slowed down for a while. Lucas tried to remember to use his utensils in the proper manner, as that was something he had often struggled with at home. Now, he really hoped that he could do this thing right, otherwise he'd be embarrassing himself in front of Tanner and his parents. He always felt an immense amount of pressure when he was around new people, and this time was no different.

"I never introduced myself" Orkun said. "I'm Lucas's Lucario, Orkun".

"Orkun, now?" Kevin asked. "I can't say that I've ever heard that name before. How is it spelled?"

After Orkun clarified the spelling, the other Pokemon introduced themselves in turn. Vinaka, Tai, Soko, Aparri, and Bayon all clarified which trainers they belonged to as they dug into their steak as well. Most Pokemon could eat human food as well as food that was made for Pokemon specifically, which was good for trainers who weren't particularly well-funded.

"So...Lucas" Mrs. Warren said. "You left Gardenia when, exactly? How long have you been travelling for?"

"I left on June fifteenth" Lucas replied. "So it was nine days ago. Hard to believe that it's only been that long".

"Indeed" Andromeda said.

Once everybody was finished with their steak, the servants came and took the plates away, and Lucas moved to stand up from his seat. He wanted to go back to the living room, perhaps see more of Tanner's apartment.

"No" Kevin said.

Lucas sat back down. "What do you mean, no?" he replied, slightly indignantly.

"I mean that there is still another course" Tanner's father replied. "We're not done with dinner just yet".

Since Lucas was one of those boys who was always hungry, or so it seemed, he didn't have a problem with that. The motley group sat there for another five minutes before the cooks came back.

They set two large apple pies on the table, since they had been cooking for twelve. "Here you go, Honorable Kevin Warren".

"Thank you" the man replied. Kevin took two hundred-dollar bills out of his pocket and handed one to each servant. "That's your pay".

After the servants had their turn to thank Kevin, they left, and each apple pie was cut into six slices. Lucas was licking his lips already - apple pie was one of his favorite foods. In addition, the steam wafting up from the hot cinnamon apples looked and smelled extremely inviting.

Indeed, the pie was one of the best things the boy had ever tasted. He saw the pure euphoria on Solanna's face, and he knew that the girl agreed with him on that.

Of course, the fact that he was enjoying it might also have had something to do with the fact that his group had just gotten another human member. Somehow, whenever they gained a Pokemon, if it didn't belong to Lucas himself, he didn't feel the special bond with it.

On second thought, it shouldn't have been too surprising that he felt this way about that. _Of course_ he would relate to Orkun and Vinaka the most. He saw no reason to feel guilty about it.

Once everybody had finished their slice of pie, Tanner said, "Do you guys want to see my bedroom? It's pretty awesome".

"Don't see why not" Andromeda replied. "We'll do that, and then let's head to the hotel. You can stay with us - we'll just get a rollaway bed or something for you".

"Are you okay with that?" Tanner asked his parents again, just to confirm that yes, it was fine for him to go on a journey with the others.

"Yes" his mother said. "Just call me tomorrow, and I'll put your account online. You'll be able to merge your account with the others, so that all of you can use that money".

Tanner nodded. Then, standing up from his chair and raising his arm to beckon the others away from the table, he said, "All right. Let me show you my room. I think that you'll like it very much".

Lucas, Andromeda, and Solanna were led out of the dining room and past the living room into a third room, which looked like the coolest bedroom that the former had ever seen...because it _was_ the coolest bedroom Lucas had ever seen.

The room was probably about twice the size of the room Lucas had once slept in back at home, and that was saying something indeed. The bed was pushed into the corner of the room, and its sheets were made to look like a Lucario's face, with light blue "fur" and a black line down the middle.

That wasn't the only cool part of the room, however. Posters of Sir Aaron, sometimes known as the King of Aura, were plastered all over the walls. Lucas, for all that he knew his parents loved him, had never been allowed to put up a poster on his wall, probably for the sake of being able to sleep without any distractions.

"You are so lucky, Tanner" Lucas told the older boy. "I'd never been allowed to have anything like this at home".

Almost immediately, Lucas had to resist the urge to slap himself upside the head. That wasn't a good thought to have; indeed, it was a very bad thought. If he didn't get over thoughts about home, he would just keep on feeling homesick.

"There were some at my school" Solanna said. "Some of the other girls in my dormitory would take their posters of movie stars or whatever to the school, and they'd put them up there. I was never one of those girls, though".

"You slept in a dormitory?" Tanner asked.

"Yeah" the girl replied. Turning towards Tanner, Tavua, and Zapatera, she explained, "I attended a boarding school in order to learn how to become a better trainer. It's not like I abused any of my Pokemon or anything like that".

"I don't think anyone ever accused you of doing so, Solanna" Andromeda said.

"Whatever" Solanna replied. "Anyway, yeah. We should probably put our Pokemon in their Pokeballs and head back to our hotel. It's not quite as lavish as this, but it's not too far off, either?"

"A five-star hotel, I hope?" Tanner asked. "Because we always stay in those".

 _Of course you do,_ Lucas thought, _you're super rich._

After they all bade goodbye to Tanner's parents, they left the apartment and took the elevator back down to the lobby. This time, Lucas felt far more scared than he had before.

He reminded himself that they were now going closer to the surface of the Earth, not further away from it, They weren't descending into some deep, dark mine shaft. The roof wasn't going to collapse in on them.

Solanna, thankfully, rescued Lucas from these ruminations about everything that could go wrong. "Tell me more about your travels, Tanner" she said, sounding very interested indeed.

"Well", the boy replied, "my family and I went to Hoenn one time. That was a fun trip, because we got to stay at a beach hotel, and we went canopy ziplining. That's one thing that was on my bucket list, and I finally got to do it that time".

Lucas thought back to something his mother had said at the table. "Why did she say _no ziplining_ back at dinner?" he asked Tanner.

"No reason, really. At least, I think the reason she said that was just because she wanted to use it as an example of something dangerous that we shouldn't do. However, if we get the chance, I absolutely want to do it again".

"You do?" Andromeda asked.

"Of course. It's really fun" Tanner replied. "And they let Pokemon do it as well, although they have special harnesses made for each species. If we find a place, maybe Tavua and Zapatera would have a good time with us".

Lucas had never asked Orkun if he wanted to go ziplining, but he got the feeling that the Lucario would have had a very good time doing it. Most Lucario, he imagined, were adrenaline junkies, at least compared to him.

"Yeah. I don't really care what your parents say" Solanna said. "If we get the chance, we're going to do it".

After everyone else had nodded their assent to that, the trainers reached the bottom of the elevator. They then left the lobby and started making their way back to the hotel.

"So...what hotel are you guys staying at?" Tanner asked. "I've lived here my whole life, and even I don't know the names of all of the places".

"It's the Monopoli Grand Hotel" Andromeda replied.

"I've heard of that one" the other boy said. "You guys are right; I've heard of it, and it _is_ a five-star hotel. It's almost as though you guys were expecting me".

"No offense, but we weren't" Lucas said.

Almost immediately, he realized his mistake in saying so. He was often one to say things that he regretted seconds later, and this time was no different. He couldn't believe that he'd put his foot in his mouth so badly.

"It's fine:" Tanner replied, a response Lucas did not expect. He was glad that the older boy seemed to forgive him, so that was definitely a good thing. At the same time, however….he needed to get over this tendency to say stupid things.

They got back to the hotel, and the original three trainers showed Tanner up to the room. Then, seeing that it was only seven in the evening, Solanna asked him a question.

"Do you want to go out and battle tonight? It's not that late".

"No" Tanner replied. "I really do think that my Pokemon need, and deserve, some rest. Maybe in the morning, though. But not tonight. Definitely not tonight".

"Okay" Lucas said. Truth be told, it had been quite a long day. He was looking forward to getting into bed, getting to sleep in a real bed for a change. Tomorrow, and in the days that followed as well, there would be plenty of time to practice battling.

For now, however, Lucas was perfectly content to simply get to know Tanner better. Battling could wait.

* * *

 **I'd like to note that I'm still looking for characters for my SYOT Hunger Games. I have 14 spots left open. Luckily, I now have all the characters I need for the first chapter, but after that I will need more.**

 **Anyway, you know the drill. I'd love to know what you think below.**

 **EDIT: I decided not to do the SYOT after all. I just decided to focus on this story for the time being.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint (Level 11). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar (Level 7).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw (Level 9). Soko - Shinx: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Baby-Doll Eyes (Level 12).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmander: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen (Level 15). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop (Level 8).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 17). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face (Level 20).**


	26. Homesick

**All right! I wrote a lot today, and I hope that you guys enjoy it. There are now as many chapters of this story as there are letters in the English alphabet. Huh.**

 **I went to bed at 1 AM last night, and got up at 6 AM. For a guy like me, who normally gets at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night, this is unfamiliar territory. But it wasn't all bad.**

 **At school, for instance, I was the man of the hour. Everybody wanted to know about the trip I had just been on, and I had a great time telling them about Whistler. I didn't even have that much work to make up, which was nice.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **FRIDAY, JULY 9, 201X - 12:31 PM**

 **JUBILIFE CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 98 DEGREES**

It was another very hot day. The oppressive heat that had been occupying much of southern Sinnoh for a while back in the middle of June had come back with a vengeance that had no rival.

As Lucas pored through a book he'd bought about Pokemon and the moves they learned at certain levels, as well as battling strategies, sweat dripped down the bridge of his nose. The Monopoli Grand Hotel did have air conditioning, but AC could only do so much sometimes.

He thought about everything that had happened in the last two weeks that the four of them had been staying in Jubilife City. During that time, they had trained every single day, trying to build up skill and stamina for future gym battles.

Tanner had quickly grown accustomed to this new life, staying in a hotel and lugging around baggage. Of course, they hadn't done any actual _travelling_ since they had taken the 14-year-old onto their team, but that could only last so long. Eventually, they were going to have to leave Jubilife City, a fact that saddened Lucas to no end.

Yes, it would be nice to travel some more, get to see more of the world. At the same time, however, he really liked this place. It was the largest city in Sinnoh, but, beyond that, it was _vibrant_ in a way that Gardenia, and even Pastoria City, simply were not. Even Hearthome and Oreburgh Cities could not compare.

Looking over the page of the book about Lucario, Lucas thought about how all of their Pokemon had grown over the last two weeks.

Orkun had gained five levels, putting him at Level 16. On the outside, he even _appeared_ stronger; his leg muscles were more fully developed, making said legs look rather like tree stumps in terms of strength. As a result, he had learned a new move; Power-Up Punch. It had only been a few days since he had learned it, but he was already starting to become quite good at it.

That, however, had nothing on the bond that had strengthened between the Lucario and his trainer. Lucas could tell that Orkun was starting to care about him even more than he had already, and the boy couldn't help but feel the same way about Orkun.

Vinaka, meanwhile, had gained four levels, and was now at Level 11. She'd learned Baby-Doll Eyes and Quick Attack. Soko was better at the former than her, at least from what Lucas had seen when he'd observed them battling. Of course, when one thought about it, this was no surprise; the Shinx had known the move for a much longer period of time than the Vulpix had. The fact remained, however, that Lucas was tempted to put more pressure on Vinaka to get the move down more quickly.

 _No,_ he told himself, snapping the book shut. _I can't be like that. I can't be too harsh on my Pokemon, because I wouldn't want them to be harsh towards me. That's the golden rule; my parents have always drilled that into me._

It was true; it had sometimes felt that all his parents were talking about, _would_ talk about, was the golden rule. It really did get annoying after a while.

It was a mistake to think that, for, right after Lucas thought about his parents, a different orifice started leaking fluid. In addition to sweating, he was crying slightly.

He'd last called his mother only the day before yesterday, but he knew that she'd be expecting him to call back soon. Lucas didn't want to worry his mother, but he was beginning to resent these calls.

There was only one real reason for this; he was becoming more and more homesick every time he heard Aubry's voice. He had no desire to make his mother think him rude for not wanting to talk, but, at a certain point, he really wondered if he wanted to continue.

He never told Andromeda, Solanna, or Tanner about his homesickness, although they could probably tell that something was wrong. Very often, Lucas would pick at his food when they were at restaurants, even when he ordered one of his favorite foods. He wouldn't have been surprised if he had already lost a pound or two.

Andromeda's Pokemon had been faring pretty well, meanwhile. Tai had gained six levels, and had thus reached Level 15. Of course, that probably had something to do with the fact that, of the eight Pokemon in their party, they'd probably given the Turtwig the most battling practice. It had paid off, though; he knew the move Razor Leaf now. He was using it to quite good effect in battles, making Lucas proud of Andromeda for being able to train his Pokemon so well.

Soko had gained five levels, and had actually evolved into a Luxio. It had been quite a sight to see, watching those floppy blue ears be replaced with black ears that almost made him look like a sphinx.

If anything, the now-Luxio looked even more brutal than before. He now knew Tackle, Leer, Charge, and Spark, and his attacks rarely missed now. If you winded up facing him in a battle, you had better pray to Arceus that things were going to go all right for you, because, if they didn't, you would be in a world of hurt. Soko had gotten more and more brutal with his attacks now that he was at Level 17.

"Hey" Andromeda said from the next room.

Lucas looked up from his book. He could tell, based on the mirror that was visible from here, that his face was extremely pink, and he was still sweating bullets from the heat of the day.

"Good afternoon, Andromeda" Lucas replied tiredly. Staying in one position for most of the morning had made him feel quite sluggish.

"Drink some water, Lucas. You don't need to end up in the hospital again. Anyway, the reason I came to interrupt your studies was…".

"Don't tell me" Lucas said. "You want to battle?"

"No. We've done enough of that for today. It's a shame that you wouldn't come out and duel with us; we would have had quite a good time. In any case, we found a creperie near here. According to Solanna, the crepes are _really_ good, probably as good as they are in Kalos".

"All right, then" the younger boy said to the older one. "I'll come out with you guys. But first, let me just get a glass of water".

Lucas stood up and walked over to the hotel's cupboard, pouring himself a glass of water. He really liked this life, being able to simply get it from a kitchen faucet. Pokemon centers were not as nice as hotels in this regard; the only faucets were in the bathrooms.

Of course, he knew that this couldn't last forever. Already, their staying in the Monopoli Grand Hotel was taking a toll on their finances. Every time Lucas called his mother, she would remind him of that.

He knew that they would have to leave, and soon. He decided, as he was gulping down the water, that he would float the idea while they were having lunch at the creperie. At this point, he didn't care about blindsiding them; he had to do what he had to do.

Lucas finished the glass of water quickly. It was easy to gulp it down when it was so hot and miserable out; his body needed it to stay hydrated. He remembered that time so long ago (had it really only been a few weeks?) that things had gone terribly wrong.

He allowed Andromeda to lead him out of the hotel room and down the stairs to the street outside. Ever since leaving Tanner's family's apartment, he hadn't taken the elevator in any building, always preferring to take the stairs. It gave him some exercise as well, and exercise made him feel better about being away from home all the time. It helped distract him from the homesickness he was feeling.

On several occasions, he had stepped into an elevator, said something along the lines of, "Oh, hell no, I'm not doing this", and gotten out. He was quite certain that he had some disorder, but he didn't want to see a doctor about it. He didn't want anything to distract from their journey.

It was only a few blocks to the creperie. Solanna was sitting there with Aparri (now a Charmeleon at Level 18, who knew Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, and Dragon Rage). She was drinking a can of lemon-lime soda, with a content expression on her face.

"I love this weather!" Aparri exclaimed. "It's just perfect for me!"

Of course, since Aparri was a Fire type, that was something he would say. For Lucas, however, the weather was not ideal; he wished he had an ice bath or something like that. It would have felt very good right about now, but _no._ He had to settle for the sweat that was already collecting all over his body.

"So far, it's alright" Tanner replied. He'd been sitting inside the creperie, enjoying a Nutella crepe. "They're really good, Lucas. Have you never had a crepe before?"

"No. I never have" Lucas said, which was the truth.

"They're basically like very thin pancakes, and they put things on them" Solanna replied. "They're really good. But don't just take my word for it; you should get one yourself".

Lucas nodded and walked inside the store, which was mercifully air-conditioned, something he was extremely grateful for. After he waited in line for a few minutes, he saw the different toppings that one could have on their crepe.

"One strawberry crepe, please" he told the server, who began making it. Turning around, Lucas noticed that Andromeda was right behind him in line. He didn't know why he hadn't bothered to check, but...there he was.

"I've got the money" Andromeda said. "I'll be the one paying for it". Turning to the server, he said, "I'm with him, and I'd like a breakfast crepe".

"Breakfast for lunch, huh, Andromeda?" Lucas asked, trying to sound teasing. He hoped that he succeeded in his attempt to do so.

"Yep" the older boy replied. "I quite like ham, egg, and cheese, so that's what I'm going to have. Don't I have the right to order whatever kind of crepe I want?"

Lucas was taken aback at that. "I suppose you do" he said, looking down at the floor.

A few minutes later, the boys were handed their crepes, and Lucas marvelled at just how mouth-watering it appeared. The crepe had been folded over like a slice of pizza, except that it was a thin pancake. He bit into it.

It was almost heavenly, but not quite. Very few things tasted this good, though, so he was definitely glad he'd tried it.

 _Remember, Lucas, on this adventure you're going to be trying a lot of new things. New foods, for instance, things you've never eaten before._

Even though it was Lucas who was telling himself that, it might as well have been his mother saying it. Certainly, that was something his mother would have said.

"I love this" Lucas told Andromeda. "We should get crepes more often".

"The ones in Kalos are the best" the older boy said to him. "But these aren't far off", he added, noticing that the server looked peeved.

They paid for their crepes and ate them outside with their Pokemon. Solanna had already treated them to lunch; she had eaten earlier with Tanner, while Lucas and Andromeda had stayed in their hotel room studying.

It hadn't been the most exciting morning, but that didn't mean that the time they had spent poring over those books hadn't been worthwhile. Certainly, Lucas felt that he was learning more and more about Pokemon, and, in turn, that helped to strengthen his bond with Orkun.

Out of nowhere, Bayon appeared. Evidently, he'd been hiding just outside of view, because there had been absolutely no signs of him within the vicinity. Lucas wondered how a Machop could have been able to hide so well.

Bayon had gained four levels since they'd met him. He could now use the move Foresight, but he hadn't had much chance to try it out thus far. In the last two weeks of battles, it had never really come up, not that Lucas was that eager to have it come up. He wasn't too keen on having his thoughts read just like a book. Not like that. The mere idea made him want to vomit.

"Afternoon, Bayon" Solanna said. "We're just enjoying a nice day in Jubilife City. How's it going with you?"

"It's pretty hot here" the Machop replied. "It kind of reminds me of the beach house, but…".

Bayon trailed off there, and the four trainers all looked at each other with confused expressions, all of them completely in the dark as to why Bayon had trailed off.

"We should probably get going tomorrow" Lucas decided to say eventually. He'd been thinking of providing some context in order to lead into it a bit later, but he decided against it. He was going to give them the cold, hard truth just the way he saw it.

"Why?" Tanner asked. The newest member of their team looked quite confused.

"Well, for one, we've been staying here for two weeks" Lucas replied. "It doesn't come cheap. We might be well-funded, but we're not _that_ well-funded".

Solanna looked at Lucas. "He does have a point. Tanner, not everybody is made of money. I know that money might have just been an object for you growing up, but you need to realize that not everybody has an infinite amount of it".

Immediately, Tanner raised his arms in a defensive stance. "I never meant to suggest that! I'm really sorry if I did".

"Don't apologize to me" Solanna replied coolly. "Apologize to Lucas. He's the one whose idea it was to leave".

After Tanner apologized to the younger boy, Andromeda said, "Let's do it. I think that two weeks was long enough in Jubilife City. We could definitely go with a change of pace".

 _My thoughts exactly,_ Lucas thought, but didn't say.

* * *

 **SATURDAY, JULY 10, 201X - 7:57 AM**

 **JUBILIFE CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 98 DEGREES**

Last night, as all of them had been preparing to go to bed, Lucas was convinced that tomorrow would be fun and exciting. They'd get to go someplace new for a change, end the day sleeping somewhere else, new and unfamiliar.

It would be the day that they finally resumed their journey. Lucas couldn't fully blame Tanner for the fact that their travels had taken a hiatus - after all, it had been his idea as well to stop here. At the same time, however, he still harbored a bit of resentment towards the older boy, for thinking that they could just afford to stay however long they liked in Jubilife City.

The morning, however, brought a harsh reality into focus, one that made his fantasies from last night look like just that. Fantasies.

For one, Lucas hadn't been thinking about just how much packing would need to be done. It was hard to forget, once they actually got to this fun job, that they'd decorated this hotel room of theirs almost as if it were their actual home.

Of course, when you were a Pokemon trainer, you didn't _have_ an actual home. You pretty much just stayed at whatever Pokemon centers you could find. Lucas knew that he had a loving home that he could always come back to whenever he wanted, with Aubry and Rodney and Jason…

 _No...I can't think about that...please…_

This time, he wasn't able to stop himself. Tears, big, fat tears, came streaming down his face. Try as he might, Lucas was unable to hold them back.

He missed them all. Aubry, who would always make a delicious home-cooked meal for him whenever he was at home. Rodney, who had often taught Lucas useful skills around the home. And Jason, who, for all he teased his younger brother occasionally, was still a very loving older brother.

His tears had, unfortunately, not gone unnoticed.

Andromeda had snuck up behind the younger boy and turned him around to face him. "What's wrong, Lucas?"

Lucas saw no reason to lie to Andromeda. When you lied to Andromeda Watson, he could generally tell that you weren't being entirely truthful. If he caught you lying, the consequences would not be pretty.

"I'm just a little homesick. That is all" he said. "There's nothing really to worry about".

"I _am_ a little worried about you being homesick, though. That could distract you during battles, for instance. We don't need a distracted leader".

 _We don't need a distracted leader._

 _LEADER._

"You think of me as a leader?" Lucas asked Andromeda.

"Of course. It often feels almost like you're the glue keeping us all together. You're always the one who calls the shots on who is fighting against whom whenever we're training. You're often the one who makes judgments on other things".

"Sorry if I'm too bossy".

"Oh no, you're fine!" the older boy replied. "I'm just saying, it seems that Solanna and Tanner defer to you a lot lately. That's a compliment if anything, but I was just making an observation".

"I see" Lucas said, trying not to feel guilty for being bossy.

"Anyway...think of how proud you'll be when you get to see your parents again and show them all your badges. _That's_ going to be pretty cool".

That thought satisfied Lucas. He imagined showing off his jacket, with all of the badges pinned to it that he had collected from various gym leaders. Of course, at this point, he only had two, the Relic Badge and the Coal Badge, but he had a feeling that he was going to be getting more in the future. After all, they had momentum. They were getting stronger and stronger from training against each other in Jubilife City.

Lucas tried to picture his mother's face again, and him standing in front of her. That thought, however, had the opposite fact as intended.

He'd hoped that it would make him feel better about his lot in life. He'd hoped that he would be able to forget his homesickness by pretending that he was with his parents right now.

No matter what, however, he couldn't change reality. The reality was that he was a couple hundred miles away from home, about to go even farther away. But there was no way that he'd allow them to travel back southeast, along Routes 203, 207, 208, and 212, just so that he'd get to see his parents again. That wouldn't be fair to them, and it wouldn't be fair to himself either.

No, he'd just have to keep himself as distracted as possible while on the journey. He'd have to focus on winning battles and getting closer and closer with Andromeda, Solanna, and Tanner. They could become a nearly unstoppable force if they trained hard enough.

 _Wouldn't that be great?,_ he thought to himself, taking a gulp of water and wiping some of the sweat off of his face. It was proving to be another hot day, nearly identical to the previous one.

 _I don't fancy walking up Route 204 in this weather,_ he thought to himself. Unfortunately, however, they would have to. That was just the way things were, and he wasn't in a position to complain about it. If he had wanted to complain about it, he shouldn't have gone on a journey. At least, that was the way he saw things.

As soon as Solanna and Tanner were done brushing their teeth, or whatever they were doing in the bathroom, they completed their packing. As stated above, this wasn't a simple job, mainly due to the fact that the adolescents had done a great job at trashing the place.

Perhaps _trashing_ was the wrong word, but they had definitely been making it look like a bunch of teenagers, or college students, were staying there and didn't know how to clean up after themselves. Lucas was a bit embarrassed to admit that to himself, but it was true.

They left the hotel, and began taking the subway out of the city. They planned to leave at the first stop once the city was over and continue on foot, since they didn't want to stay on the train for any longer than they had to. They didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves, since all eight of their Pokemon were out of their Pokeballs.

 _That's the end of an era,_ Lucas thought to himself. _Those carefree days in Jubilife City are gone now._

 _Now, shit gets real._

* * *

Sam was getting extremely peeved.

He'd spent the last two weeks scouring Jubilife City for any sign of the children, staying at a run-down hotel and trying not to draw too much attention to himself. He knew that, if he was caught, the results would not be good.

The reason he was staying at the run-down hotel was really quite simple. It was a cheap place, and many people who were struggling financially had moved in in order to make ends meet. As long as he didn't dress too fancily, he could pass himself off as one of them.

His cell phone rang, and Sam gulped. He didn't want to know what was on the other end of the line. Unfortunately, he did know. Even if _know_ was a little too strong of a word, he had an extremely high level of confidence that it was indeed Charlie on the other end. Over the last two weeks, he hadn't gotten calls from anybody else.

They came every day at ten in the evening, without fail. Every time, Charlie would ask him the same series of questions, and Sam would have to answer them as honestly as possible. Or, at least, make Charlie _think_ he was being honest.

The truth was that he had no idea where the children were, and staying in Jubilife City could very well be a fool's errand. It was very much possible that he'd be better served leaving north towards Floaroma City, where Lucas, Andromeda, and Solanna could very well be.

Sam didn't completely know why, but he got the feeling that they had acquired the fourth member. Were a gun to be pointed to his head and him to be asked about how he knew, he would not have been able to tell you. It was a complete and total mystery to him.

But he got the same call every day, and, every time Sam heard the voice on the other end, it sounded a little less patient. How long, he wondered, until Charlie lost his patience completely, and Sam was fired?

Once Sam was back in his hotel room, he felt safe to answer the phone.

"Yello?" he asked. That was the way he said "hello" these days; he thought it sounded more casual, and drew less attention to himself. Granted, if he was detected at all on a call, he was probably screwed.

"Hey, Sam. Do you have any signs of the children? Any evidence that we can use in our search?"

"No" he replied. "I'm sorry, but I have not been able to come across any new leads. Trust me, though, I'm working. I'm working _hard_ at it".

"I hope that's the truth, Sam. I hope that's the truth" Charlie replied. "How can I trust you on that? How can I trust that you haven't found any evidence?"

This was a new question to the young man. It wasn't one that the older man had asked him before on any of these calls. And this alarmed him.

Thus far, Charlie had not directly questioned Sam's honesty. Now, he was doing that, and that scared the younger man very, very much.

It showed, to him, that Charlie was cracking. At least, he was getting closer to doing it. There was a very real possibility now that, come the beginning of August, Sam Scott would be out of a job.

"If I had evidence", Sam replied, "do you really think I would try to hide it from you? I'd have to be an enormous idiot in order to do that".

"That's fair" Charlie said. "Consider yourself off the hook for today. But I'm giving you a deadline in order to help get these children captured. The longer they're out there, the greater a threat they pose to the Sinnoh branch of Team Rocket".

"When is that deadline?" Sam asked.

"July twenty-fifth. So, two weeks and a day from now. That should be plenty of time for you".

After thanking Charlie for sparing him once again, and promising that yes, he would catch those children by that date, he hung up the phone.

He glanced at his phone screen. It was July 10 now. Only fifteen days until his deadline would come to pass. Only fifteen days until, if he hadn't managed to catch the children, his job would come to an end.

Charlie's palms started sweating, and his pulse started to quicken. The stakes had just gotten much higher.

* * *

 **The shortest non-prologue chapter followed up by the longest chapter in the story? I guess we've seen weirder things. I have no idea, at this point, how many chapters there will be in this story, but I'd say we're roughly halfway done, perhaps a little more than that. I think 45-54 chapters is the rough range.**

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter, and don't forget to review!**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	27. Fight Club

**Sorry that this chapter took longer than usual to come out. I was busy with some things, including visiting with my brother, who is home from college. However, I'm looking to get back into the grind, because I am liking the way this story is going, and I want to finish it before June. That's my goal.**

 **This isn't the longest chapter, but it's not ridiculously short, either. I think it's a pretty decent length for what it is. And, for the record, I have never seen the movie "Fight Club". I just thought this was a good chapter title.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SATURDAY, JULY 10, 201X - 11:28 AM**

 **ROUTE 204, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 98 DEGREES**

Lucas didn't know how long they had been walking for. Certainly, it had been a long way. According to Andromeda, if they kept up a good pace, they could reach Floaroma City by tomorrow.

He was hesitant to think of what might happen tomorrow. Their life for the last two weeks in Jubilife City had been quite predictable. Other than their Pokemon levelling up, evolving, and learning new moves, nothing particularly exciting happened.

Now, that predictability, that _certainty,_ was all going to be washed away. They were back to living life on the road, only with a new team member.

"I'm not used to walking this far" Tanner said, panting slightly.

"It's what you sign up for if you wish to become a trainer" Andromeda replied coolly. "If you don't like it, you can leave whenever you want".

The two boys held a staring contest for a while. Andromeda looked almost as though he were about to pounce on Tanner, but Solanna came between them and was able to break up the fight.

"Both of you! Stop that!"

Lucas watched as she forced the two to stand on opposite sides of her. "Andromeda, no arguing. Tanner, no complaining".

"But he should realize…" Lucas began.

Solanna rounded on the youngest boy. "Don't get into this, Lucas. It won't do you, or any of us, any good. You need to remember that _not everything is about you._ Okay?"

Lucas nodded reluctantly, and then Solanna turned back to the other two. "Let's just keep going. We should probably also let our Pokemon out; they'll probably want a walk".

Personally, Lucas thought that there was no way Orkun would want to be outside in this brutal heat, but the other three agreed to let their Pokemon out. Lucas said, "I'm going to keep Orkun in his, just because it's a really hot day".

"No, don't" Solanna replied. "He needs the fresh air and exercise. I'd think you'd know that by now, Andromeda, what with all the studying you've done lately...right?"

"Yeah" the oldest boy in the group said. "She has a point, Lucas. Orkun doesn't have to be out of his Pokeball for too long. He just needs to have a chance to get in a quick walk. Then, it'll be enough".

"If you're sure" Lucas replied. The way he saw it, it would be a bad idea for the Lucario to be out of his Pokeball any longer than was absolutely necessary. Being a Steel type, he would overheat quickly, just like Lucas had several weeks before.

"Yes, I'm sure" Andromeda said.

"If you say so".

Lucas released Orkun from his Pokeball. Almost immediately, the Lucario was wiping his forehead with his paw, as though trying to get the sweat out of his fur.

"Man, it is _hot_ out here" Orkun said. "I wonder how all the rest of you guys stand it".

"We don't have such a thick coat of fur?" Aparri replied, clearly trying to sound as though he was teasing Orkun. Which, clearly, he was.

"That's pretty insensitive" Zapatera said. The Zorua was using one of her paws to pan herself against the blistering sun, but it clearly wasn't working. Not well enough.

"On second thought", Andromeda replied, "that was a horrible idea. My apologies".

After Orkun, Vinaka, Soko, and Zapatera were put back in their Pokeballs, the four trainers continued walking north along Route 204, Tai, Aparri, Bayon, and Tavua were fine by comparison, although they were still clearly panting.

Along the way, Lucas tried not to think about home. He'd made such a big mistake earlier, which had resulted in him breaking down in front of Andromeda. He was grateful that neither Tanner nor Solanna had witnessed it.

If what Andromeda said was true...they considered him the "leader" of the group. He didn't exactly know what that job entailed; all he did know was that they trusted in him, in some capacity, to make many of the group decisions.

That did feel good, but the question remained whether or not he was going to be able to take advantage of the opportunities he got. He was getting to experience the world at last, and it felt so good to be able to do something with just other adolescents.

Route 204 was a fairly straight one, although it was made of dirt, making walking slightly more tiring than it would have been were it on pavement. Along the way, it went up and down hills, as well as through meadows surrounded by the occasional pine tree. Tall, thick grasses dominated the meadows, grasses that no doubt held all sorts of bugs just waiting to bite them.

"I'm looking forward to Floaroma City" Tanner said eventually. "My first gym battle! Who's the gym leader for Floaroma again?"

Lucas scratched his chin. He wasn't quite sure, although, knowing Andromeda, he'd probably know the answer to that question pretty soon anyway. There was no way that Andromeda didn't know.

"There's no gym leader there" said Andromeda. "There's just a trainer that we can challenge on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays. Her name is Ariel, and she has a Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu".

"We should probably do more studying", Lucas said, "on what types of Pokemon are resistant to electrical attacks and what types of Pokemon are more vulnerable to them. Our ability to win those battles might depend on it".

Solanna poked Lucas in the side in a joking manner. "Ever the studious one, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am" he replied, although he didn't meet her eyes.

They continued walking, and Lucas continued to think about the last two weeks. Their Pokemon had gotten stronger, but, the truth was, he felt as though he had gotten weaker. Two weeks of staying in the same hotel had really been getting to him, and he was quite bored with Jubilife City. Thankfully, they had left today.

"I will admit that I haven't done very much research" Tanner said five minutes later. "I mean, it's not like I ever really anticipated that I would go on a journey, even though I very much wanted to".

"It's fine" Solanna replied, which was not what Lucas was thinking, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to cause any more arguments; as it was, there was a certain amount of tension within the group.

The route began slowly sloping upwards, and the grass became a little less deep. Just when the four trainers thought that they were climbing a mountain, the path levelled off, and then it began sloping downwards once again.

 _This is awesome,_ Lucas thought out of nowhere. At first, he didn't realize what had caused him to have that thought, but it became completely obvious to him after only a few seconds.

He was really enjoying travelling once more. The time they'd spent in the city had been great and all, but nothing beat the thrill of walking along a new route, heading towards a new city. The heat was only a minor factor at this point; he felt as though he could keep walking forever, but he made sure to stay hydrated. He didn't need a repeat of Route 212 happening.

 _Huh. I boiled on Route 212. How amusing._

Perhaps "amusing" wasn't the right word to describe that. Perhaps "ironic" would have been better.

They kept walking, and eventually they came across quite a sight.

* * *

"Is that another trainer there?" Andromeda asked. "It sure looks like there's a Pokemon with him".

Perhaps it was a trainer, but Lucas didn't feel like adding another one to their group. The group was getting big enough already, with four humans and eight Pokemon. Were there five humans instead...he didn't particularly want to think about that.

However, it soon became clear that, even if he had had the appetite for another human member of their group, this was not the human they wanted.

"Is he... _beating_ his Pokemon?" Solanna gasped. Lucas had known that the girl was very warm-hearted, and wouldn't take kindly to something like that. If she saw such an injustice as that, it was a sure bet that she would do what she could to stop it.

As Lucas peered into the distance, he could see that Solanna was indeed correct. A boy, probably about his age, was standing over his Totodile, and...he was _beating him with a rock._

"Yep. That's what it looks like" Tanner said. "A tragedy, isn't it?"

"Let's get him!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Wait...are you seriously thinking of…".

"Yes. I'm going to sneak in and take the Totodile from him" he replied. "If I don't, wouldn't that mean I was just standing idly by, allowing him to abuse his Pokemon?"

"I see" Andromeda replied. "I really don't think that's a good idea. You don't want to get caught stealing a Pokemon; that's a crime. At the same time, so is abusing a Pokemon".

Lucas looked around. There were no signs of any police nearby for as far as they could see; probably about half a mile in every direction. Visibility was quite good today.

"I can take him in a fight" Lucas said, but he wasn't so sure. He wasn't the best physical fighter, and the thought of doing so made him feel quite anxious.

He'd been in playful fights with his brother before, without intentions to injure each other, but this would be different. If he went to fight this boy, there was a good chance that he would come out of it a little worse for wear.

"Don't, Lucas!" Andromeda replied. "It's not going to end well. Do you really think it's worth hurting him over?"

He didn't like to see this trainer abusing his Pokemon. They were now only about two hundred yards away from him, enough of a distance that Lucas could sprint there in about thirty seconds, thanks to his long legs.

"It is, if it's necessary in order to get that Totodile for myself" he replied, trying to sound as deadly as possible. He didn't like to sound as though he was threatening the others, but he _did_ want to fight this other boy for the Totodile.

"Fine" Solanna replied. "But we're not going to provide any backup for you. If you want that Totodile, you have to get it _alone"._

Lucas tried to plaster a determined expression onto his face. No matter what the others said, he was going to do this, even if he got hurt in the process.

"You guys can't stop me" he said. It came out in more of a threatening tone than he had intended, but he was very satisfied with it. He was sort of practicing for when he confronted this trainer.

Lucas started sprinting towards the other trainer. As he got closer and closer, he saw that it was a boy with blonde hair, probably a year or so older than he was. He had his Totodile in his arms, and, from a distance, it might have looked like he was carrying it in an affectionate manner. From this vantage point, however, it was clear that nothing could have been further from the truth.

"Hey, you!" Lucas called out in the nastiest voice he could muster.

The trainer turned around. "Yeah? What's going on? Why did you suddenly come here?"

He didn't know how to respond to that. Lucas knew that he wasn't the best fighter, so his best chance was to blindside his opponent. This boy, if he didn't see it coming, was that much more likely to lose.

"You shouldn't be abusing your Pokemon like that! What's wrong with you?"

Lucas hadn't intended to be that up-front with it, but that was just the way he had decided to say it. _Oh, well,_ he thought. _I'll have said, and done, a lot worse by the time this is over._

He balled his fists, and the other trainer did so as well. "What? Do you want Takali for yourself? Are you going to _fight_ me for him?"

"You are _completely unfit_ to be a trainer" Lucas replied. "So give him up right now, or I'll report you. I've got my iPhone right here, I can call 911 and tell them you've been abusing that Totodile".

"Really?" the other boy said with venom in his voice. "You would seriously do that?"

"Yep, I would" Lucas said breathlessly. "Hand him over, or I _will_ report you".

He hadn't expected it to work, so he was not disappointed when the other boy said, "My name's Tristan, and I'm going to kick your ass".

"Tristan, huh?" the other boy replied angrily. "Well, I'll show you what happens when you abuse your Pokemon. I'm not going to abuse you, but I _will_ fight you for Takali. Winner gets to have him".

In the back of Lucas's mind, he did have a certain awareness that, if he was fighting to take over Takali as property, that, in a way, made him no better than Tristan. He was still power-hungry, desperate to take over control of the Totodile.

 _It's okay,_ he told himself. _It's justified. Tristan's going to keep abusing Takali; if I am able to take Takali for myself, I will NOT abuse him. That's the key difference between us._

Lucas charged towards Tristan and landed a fist onto his chest. This sent sent the other boy staggering backward, with a hand to that part of his body, but he did not fall over. Lucas knew that, if he was going to win this fight, he was going to need to be a little more aggressive than that.

 _And I will be,_ he told himself. _After all, Takali's future is at stake._

As he tried to dodge Tristan's next blow, Lucas kept that in mind. It wasn't just himself he was fighting for. He was fighting for the Totodile as well.

When Lucas wasn't looking, Tristan managed to grab him in a headlock, lifting him a few inches off the ground. _Man, this guy is strong,_ Lucas thought. He wasn't letting him go.

Pretty soon, he started to feel dizzy. _Tristan's cutting off my air supply,_ he realized. _I'm going to have to get out of this headlock, or else he'll make me pass out!_

With all the strength he could muster, he kicked Tristan in the stomach. That sent the other boy sprawling backwards, and Lucas fell to the ground as well.

They were now ten feet away from each other. Lucas was able to get up first, in spite of still feeling slightly woozy. He ran towards Tristan and threw himself on top of him.

For a few seconds, Tristan appeared to be too shocked in order to respond with an attack of his own. Then, however, the boy pushed Lucas off of him. He hit the ground with a thud.

Lucas got up quickly and realized that Tristan was stronger than himself. By a lot. Barring a miracle, he wasn't going to win this fight.

 _Should I appeal to Arceus for a miracle?,_ he wondered to himself. _I guess I'll wait until things get REALLY desperate. Besides, I don't know that he'd help me in just this one fight._

They both got up and rammed into each other. Both of their palms were touching each other's, as if they were playing some children's game. But this fight was far from childish; each of them very much intended to hurt the other.

Had Lucas been able to concentrate on anything else besides the fight, he would have noticed that Takali the Totodile was cowering a good distance away, not liking to see his owner get into a physical fight with this unknown boy. However, in the moment, Lucas was just too focused on causing Tristan as much pain as possible, and winning the fight in any way he could.

For a good two minutes, they stood like that. Eventually, Lucas could feel his arms beginning to give, little by little. If the fight continued on its current trajectory, Lucas would lose.

Which meant that he had to change the equation.

Lucas pushed himself away from Tristan and aimed a kick right at his kidney. After all, that was what he'd been told the most sensitive part of a person's body was. However, Tristan was expecting it, and was able to get out of the way.

Like a martial artist chopping a stack of blocks, Tristan did a karate chop, trying to get Lucas in a sensitive area. The latter boy fell to the ground...it was so much pain.

He had to get up. He had to, or else he'd be sending a signal to Takali that he didn't care about him at all.

Lucas was able to stand up, and he shoved Tristan out of the way. He hit the ground with a sickening _thud._

The 13-year-old had to step away from Tristan's unconscious body. He didn't want to be seen as gloating over his victory. Instead, he ran over to Takali.

"Why did you do that?" the Totodile asked Lucas. He sounded extremely nervous, as though he expected the boy to beat him up next.

"It was because your trainer's an asshole" the boy replied. "Has he done that to you before?"

Takali nodded sheepishly. "He did".

"I'll be the friend you need. You should be friends with your trainer. You shouldn't be afraid of him".

After the Totodile nodded once more, Lucas walked back over to his friends. They had been watching the fight with intrigue, but, when they looked at him, they had expressions of anger on their faces.

"That really wasn't necessary, Lucas" Tanner said.

Solanna and Andromeda didn't say anything, but they looked stone-faced, so angry that they didn't know how to express it. At the very least, they were highly displeased with Lucas.

 _I did what I had to do,_ he wanted to say. But did he really _have_ to do it? He very well could have left Tristan alone, and things would have been fine.

At the same time, Takali wouldn't have been fine, staying with Tristan. That was something that he was going to have to remind himself of.

And yet...he had helped the Totodile, right? He looked into its eyes, and he knew that he would have an uphill battle in order to persuade Takali that he would be any better than Tristan.

* * *

 **I like the bittersweet ending of this chapter. Yes, he has a new member of his party, but does Takali really trust him? We'll see what happens next.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	28. Trust

**This is a chapter that I find highly interesting. It deals a lot with the aftermath of the fight between Lucas and Tristan, and I thought that it was an interesting premise for a chapter.**

 **I'm having plenty of ideas of things I want to include in this story, but I do know where it will end and where the sequel will begin. I do have somewhat of a plan. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **SATURDAY, JULY 10, 201X - 1:29 PM**

 **ROUTE 204, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 98 DEGREES**

Lucas hadn't realized it at the time, since he had been running on a lot of adrenaline when he had been duelling with Tristan.

Now that it was over, however, he was feeling quite tired; he knew that he had really gotten tuckered out due to that fight. He hadn't expected that there would be too many physical effects, but the other boy had been able to get a few punches in.

As a result, Lucas did have some aches. They weren't _too_ bad, but he grimaced occasionally whenever he had to walk upwards. Nobody else seemed to notice or care, which peeved the boy slightly, but then he realized why.

The others didn't feel bad for him. They didn't have any sympathy, at least. And, were Lucas in their position, he wasn't sure that he would have had it either.

Takali had looked almost as though he was about to run away. As a result of that, Lucas had captured him with his Pokeball. This had resulted in even more glares from the others, and now they weren't talking to him.

Perhaps that was a little bit of an exaggeration. But it wasn't a big one. When Andromeda had to stop in order to relieve himself, he told Lucas so, and they stopped for that. Other than that, however...there really wasn't much in the way of chatter between Lucas and the others.

The fight between Lucas and Tristan had separated the group, put them on opposite wavelengths. Tanner, Solanna, and Andromeda were all together, talking, as though things were completely all right; they were just three adolescents enjoying a journey through Sinnoh. Lucas, on the other hand, felt as though he were on an island of his own.

He stood fifty yards in front of the others, scouting ahead for possible dangers. Takali and Vinaka were in their Pokeballs, while Orkun stood next to Lucas.

It appeared that the Lucario had forgiven Lucas for what had happened back there. For that, the boy was extremely grateful; at least he still had Orkun, the Riolu-turned-Lucario that he'd been with for four weeks now. That in itself didn't help completely, though; he felt a connection towards Andromeda, Solanna, and even Tanner now as well.

Lucas knew now that it was more than just his autism that set him apart from the others. He had gotten into a fight, _on purpose._ He'd been the one to specifically seek it out, and he was the one who had left Tristan injured and stolen his Pokemon.

If his friends saw that as despicable, then so be it. But Lucas wondered if they were even his friends now. The way things were going, had they all decided to start hating him? It wouldn't have been a surprise.

When the group had stopped for lunch at a nearby Pokemon center, Lucas sat at a different table from the others. He didn't want to have any more contact with them than necessary. He wished that he could have kept on talking to them, but that just wasn't the way things worked anymore.

 _Should I leave?,_ he thought to himself. It was here that his poor executive functioning skills were showing.

He ultimately decided against leaving, at least for the time being. He was a very long way away from home, and he didn't know what the best way back would be. Besides, there would be the matter of what to do with Orkun, Vinaka, and Takali.

At one point, Lucas had let Takali and Vinaka out of their Pokeballs. The Totodile had looked extremely angry at his new master for getting into that fight, This was something Lucas didn't really understand; he'd been the one to _save_ Takali from his abusive master; why wasn't it okay for him to steal him away by force?

Vinaka, on the other hand, cast Lucas with a very disapproving glare. She didn't say anything, nor did she look furious, exactly, but her master would have preferred her to wear an expression more similar to the Totodile's. By comparison, the Vulpix's gaze was far worse.

"I still trust you, Lucas" Orkun whispered into his master's ear. By now, Takali had been in the boy's possession for about two hours, and the other members of the group had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since.

Lucas's heart warmed a few degrees. "You do?" he whispered back. "Thanks".

"To be clear, I think you might have been able to get Takali without fighting, and stealing him, flat-out _stealing_ him, might have been uncalled for. But I know that the reason you did it was because you cared for Takali".

 _But do I really care for Takali?,_ Lucas wondered. He hadn't had any particular attachment to the Totodile before he had rescued him from Tristan. He'd just saved him from his abusive trainer because…

 _Because I DO care for him. If the others can't figure that out, I shouldn't stay with them anymore. It's as simple as that._

A thought then struck Lucas. It was a horrible thought, one that he did not like to have. However, the instant he had that thought, he knew that it was true.

 _I need them a hell of a lot more than they need me._

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that that was true. He wasn't good at being independent about anything, whether it be cooking, finances, or anything else.

Now, he had been warming up to the idea of leaving the group, those doubts came back in full force. He no longer thought that he'd be able to simply up and go. However, if the others decided that he should be gone from the group, then it would be as simple as that. There would be absolutely nothing Lucas could do to stop it.

The hours kept on passing, and Lucas and Orkun continued to lead the way. The boy felt a little bad for his Lucario, but, at the same time, he was highly grateful for him as well. Without Orkun, he would have been all alone; he could only wonder what the others were thinking of the Lucario right now.

Along the way, sweat began rolling down the back of his neck, and his legs started to ache, but he was immune to exhaustion. Completely numb from what had happened, he forced himself to take another step, and then another, and then another, not even stopping to take a drink of water.

He _did_ drink water, mind you, but whenever he did, he didn't cease walking for even a second. He didn't want to lose his fifty-yard lead over the others. Even if it wasn't a race, he still wanted to be ahead.

They arrived at a Pokemon center and ordered dinner eventually. The other three had agreed on it without Lucas's input, and he'd walked twenty yards past it when Solanna had yelled, " **LUCAS!"** in as shrill a voice as, it appeared, she could muster. Because of this, he'd turned around and followed them into the place.

Lucas had been shocked that Solanna had said that. Even if it was only one word, his name, it was still significant. That was the first time she had spoken to him in hours, and he was willing to take any communication he could get.

"We're taking out three rooms" Andromeda told the woman behind the counter, a somewhat chubby redhead. "One for Lucas, one for Solanna, and one for me and Tanner".

Lucas felt trace amounts of betrayal at this. He tried to look on the positive side, but he could only see two possibilities for this.

One, they just needed some time to have some distance from him, and things would be fine later. They'd be able to get over the fact that Lucas had gotten into that fight with Tristan and stolen Takali, and, by morning, they would have forgotten that the whole thing had even happened.

That was the optimistic scenario.

The _pessimistic_ scenario stated that the three of them were completely going to ghost him in the morning. They'd leave without him, taking their money out of the account, or worse, taking it all for themselves. And then Lucas would have to head home, knowing that he had missed out on the opportunity for a great journey.

He didn't know which one was more likely, but he supposed that he'd find out soon. If the others talked to him at dinner, that would probably be a good sign, although it wouldn't be the only indicator. There would be other social cues he would need to pay attention to, which he wasn't that good at. He hated trying to read social cues, because that often ended with him feeling extremely confused about what was going on. One of the many occupational hazards of being autistic.

As they were eating dinner, Lucas's chicken noodle soup was delicious, but he had a hard time focusing on that. Whenever he tried to, he couldn't help but get a sour taste in his throat.

He'd done what he thought was the moral thing to do - rescuing Takali from that jerk he called his master. He had never thought that he would regret doing so; he'd been raised to help those who were less fortunate than himself. He'd always had that inculcated into him by his parents.

 _Now's not the time to think about that,_ Lucas told himself. _The goal should be to get the others to forgive you._

By the end of the highly awkward meal, the bread bowl felt like a large slab of concrete in his stomach. He wished that the others would just flat-out say what they thought about his actions. They could have just said, "I fucking hate you, Lucas, and I hope you die in a hole, alone, because of what you did".

In comparison to what they were doing to him right now, that would have been quite a bit more bearable. At least then Lucas would _know_ what they were thinking. It might have helped him change his behavior in the future, so that things like this didn't happen again.

"Well, I'm going to bed now" he said in his most plain voice possible. Of course, his voice _always_ seemed to sound plain, no matter how hard he tried to add a new inflection to it. Some accents were easier for him to imitate than others, but, when he was talking about something more serious, his voice always sounded the same; slightly monotone and childish, but very deep at the same time.

"Okay" Solanna said coolly. "Enjoy your beauty sleep".

Sheepishly, Lucas turned and walked over to the shower. After going through his nighttime routine, he got into bed and silently cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Morning wasn't much better.

Owing to the fact that he had gone to bed quite early, Lucas woke up quite early, a little before five in the morning. At first, he didn't really know what was troubling him so much.

Then, the previous evening came back in full focus.

Lucas didn't want to think that he had really experienced that. He didn't want to think that he'd gotten into the fight with Tristan. He didn't want to think that he had just alienated all of his friends.

Unfortunately, it didn't really matter what Lucas thought. What _did_ matter was what was actually true.

He looked around the room he had been sleeping in. Large, fat raindrops were falling.

This was quite surprising to him, but very much welcome. After all of the dry heat that had been hammering the region of Sinnoh for the last few weeks, they really could use some rain. Hopefully it stopped before they had to leave for Floaroma City, or else…

 _No. Don't think about that. It's far too terrible to contemplate._

If it continued raining for too long, they'd have to spend the day here. There would be no other option. And it would be pretty horrible, when he had not smoothed things over with the others.

The three Pokeballs sat on the bedside table. At any moment, Lucas could have grabbed one of them and released the Pokemon inside of it. And he could have done so without sitting up; that was how long the boy's arms were.

Without thinking, he reached over and grabbed the Pokeball nearest to him. He hadn't bothered to check the labels, so he didn't know if it would be Orkun, Takali, or Vinaka that he would meet, once they had been released.

After the flash of light, a Vulpix was left standing on the ground, looking at Lucas with a very disapproving expression. This signalled that it was indeed Vinaka who had been in that Pokeball.

The boy sat up in bed, staring at the Vulpix with his intense steel blue eyes. Even in the semidarkness, they shone through the air like beams.

"Good morning" he said awkwardly, although he was standing in front of a class at school, having just done something extremely embarrassing.

"Morning" Vinaka replied coolly. It was clear to Lucas that she hadn't forgiven him, simply from that tone alone.

Oh well. There was still plenty of time to convince her to remain at his side. Eventually, he was sure, he would be able to do that.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the boy asked. "It's not as though I've murdered anybody".

It was that that set Vinaka off like a stick of dynamite. "So, you didn't kill him? That's a low bar to set, Lucas. I really thought you were better than to just go out there and fight the owner of a Pokemon for his Totodile. That's armed robbery, isn't it?"

"I'm pretty sure you need to have a weapon for it to be an armed robbery" Lucas replied. "Isn't that what _armed_ means?"

"I suppose" the Vulpix said. "Really, though...you shouldn't have done that. It's no wonder that Takali distrusts you. What reason does he have to believe that you're any better than his former master?"

"I'm not going to abuse him" Lucas replied, holding his arms up. "I haven't abused him yet, and I have absolutely no plans to do so. That should be okay with him, shouldn't it be?"

"I don't know" Vinaka said. "But let it be known: I have forgiven you, but I have not forgotten. I will remain a member of your team, at least for the time being".

That felt like a major weight off of Lucas's heart. He'd been worried this whole time that Vinaka might not forgive him, and that she'd end up leaving him. Now, that no longer seemed like a possibility.

Lucas climbed out of bed and got down on the ground in order to pet Vinaka, but the Vulpix ran away from him.

"I'm not ready for that yet" she said. "Maybe once you've proven yourself a little more, you can do that".

Even so, it was a great feeling to know that he'd earned the forgiveness of at least one of his teammates. He could only hope that he'd earn the forgiveness of the others.

"Let's let out Takali" he said out loud. "I want to talk to him".

He turned on the lamp beside the bed, and he found the Pokeball with Takali's name stuck onto it. Then, he released the Totodile as well.

"Uh...what am I doing here?" Takali asked. "It's not like I asked for this".

"I wanted to apologize to you" Lucas said. "I really am sorry for taking you away from Tristan. I just thought that…".

The Totodile waved one of his hands. "It's really no problem, master. I was just pretty shocked that you would do such a thing. When I first saw you, you seemed pretty mild-mannered to me".

That came as rather a shock to Lucas, considering that the first time Takali had seen him, he had been charging in to do battle with his master. However, he was able to move past that. He still had a lot of things to say.

"You forgive me?" Lucas asked. He hadn't expected it to be that quick.

"Of course I do!" Takali replied. "Tristan, he was a real jerk anyways. Trust me, I'm a lot better off without him. If anything, I should be thanking you".

"Well, you're welcome".

"Thanks" the Totodile said.

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. Even if things went horribly wrong with his three human companions, he now knew that Orkun, Vinaka, and Takali would remain by his side through this.

He could only hope that his luck would hold for everyone else.

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JULY 11, 201X - 5:14 AM**

 **ROUTE 204, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 80 DEGREES**

In spite of the relatively warm weather, Sam was shivering.

He wished that he had brought a tarp, a sleeping bag, or even an umbrella with him. Any of those items would have helped him very much right about now. But, of course, he hadn't bothered to think ahead.

He supposed that it wasn't entirely his fault. In the preparations for the mission, he had felt slightly rushed, as though he didn't have enough time to do everything he really needed to in order to get ready.

Sam now lamented that fact as he curled up on Route 204 and tried to get warm.

It had been an okay night thus far. Even though he'd gotten the daily call from Charlie warning him about the deadline, he had been able to shrug it off. He had two weeks to go at this point. That was more than enough time to get some information. He was going to be fine.

Of course, Arceus now had to come and, quite literally, rain on his parade, but Sam was used to hardship. If you were going to be a member of Charlie's Angels, you had to be.

 _It's going to be fine,_ he told himself. _I'm going to capture the children, and then Charlie's going to hail me as a hero. I'm going to get quite a raise._

He was trying the "fake it 'till you make it" strategy. In other words, by telling himself that everything was going to be okay, he would make himself believe it. He hated this type of self-deception, but if it was what was necessary in order to get through the day, he wasn't going to hold anything back.

Looking at his waterproof watch, Sam decided that now was as good a time as any to get up. It was past five in the morning, after all. If he stayed in one position too long, he might get sore. That wasn't something he particularly wanted, so he stood up and walked into the shadow of one of the nearby trees.

Sam unfurled his map of Sinnoh. Looking at Route 204, he saw that he was in the southwestern part of the region. This in itself came as no surprise - before and during the mission, he'd studied a lot of maps of Sinnoh.

 _If they got out of Jubilife City, then they'll probably be heading up Route 204 to Floaroma City...or maybe they'll be going down Route 202 to Sandgem Town. There's really no way to know._

 _Fuck._

By admitting to himself that there was no way to know where the children would go next, he'd just shot himself in the foot.

 _They could be anywhere._

* * *

 **I feel like there's tension involved in Sam trying to make his deadline. Will he succeed or not? Find out in subsequent chapters of...LUCAS'S ADVENTURE: BOOK A!**

 **Seriously, thank you all for almost 4,000 views. See you soon.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	29. The Muller Probe

**I wasn't intending to make a political statement by titling this chapter the way I did. I just thought it was clever.**

 **Ah...spring break is over for those of you who don't live in New England. That's kind of a shame for you guys, but it's not my problem. Hopefully some people will come out of hiding for this story.**

 **Anyway, let's see...I am planning for this story to have a total of 47 chapters. I outlined it on my Google Drive, and I decided that that's what it's going to be. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys think of this chapter.**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JULY 11, 201X - 7:43 AM**

 **ROUTE 204, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 80 DEGREES**

Lucas had spent the better part of the last two hours agonizing over what was going to happen now. He really wasn't sure what his teammates still thought of him.

Perhaps they were still willing to be in a group with him. If they were still going to remain his travelling companions, Lucas had no doubt that he was going to have to make some concessions. However, he was prepared to do this if he meant that he didn't have to travel alone, or to go home.

In the war with his own mind, however, he was winning. He'd been constantly trying to persuade himself that it wouldn't be such a good thing to get to go home after all this time. Now, wouldn't you know it, he had managed to do just that

 _It's really better this way,_ he kept on telling himself. _If I ever tell myself that I'm about to go home, it's just going to make me feel more homesick than I already am._

That admission, in and of itself, brought tears to Lucas's eyes. _I guess, what I mean is….I shouldn't be homesick. I need not waste my energy on these things. If we're going to win today's battle with Ariel in Floaroma City, we're going to need all of it._

But first, he had to convince the others that it was still worth having him as a teammate. That, no matter how bad things got, Lucas Snow was a boy who would always be on your side. That they could continue to trust him going forward.

 _I can imagine that, now that they saw me fight Tristan for Takali, that looks bad,_ he thought. _But surely not THAT bad? They can probably forgive me for that one fight, especially since Takali did._

But Lucas wasn't so sure. Every time he tried to get out of bed, his legs wobbled. He knew that this wasn't due to an illness or an injury; rather, he was simply too nervous to talk to the others. He was aware that this couldn't last forever; either he was going to continue to lie in this bed like an invalid, or he was going to get up and face the truth eventually.

Eventually, Lucas was able to stay on his feet for more than a few seconds. He walked over to the hallway, still wearing his pajamas. He knocked on the door of the room that Solanna was sleeping in. _Number 2047,_ he remembered.

He wasn't sure exactly how he was able to remember the room number; then again, he wasn't sure how he remembered anything like these things. He'd always had a poor memory for things like this.

However, for things that he _was_ interested in...suffice it to say that he was _really_ interested in them. He could have talked about them for as long as he wanted to, and he had quite an excellent memory when it came to those things.

Case in point: He could recite every single move that a Lucario had. When he'd first found Orkun injured on the sidewalk all those weeks ago, he had been thinking about what sorts of moves he might be able to teach the Riolu (now Lucario) once he got well.

Now that he had a Lucario, his dreams were being realized. That just served to make him think more about how so many things had changed over the last few weeks. He wasn't the same timid thirteen-year-old boy who had left home last month to embark on a journey.

He'd almost died, twice. He'd toured a mine. He'd fought and defeated two gym leaders. He'd spent the night sleeping outside. These were things he hadn't done before when he had lived with his parents, and now he was having all of these new experiences.

In a way, it felt as though these new experiences were toughing him up, as though he were constructing an outer shell that would make him less vulnerable, in a way.

 _But if I'm less vulnerable, is that really a good thing?,_ he wondered.

Of course it was. He was just being silly. As he knocked on Solanna's door, he tried to persuade himself of that.

"Come in" a tired female voice said. Lucas knew that Solanna had to have just woken up; otherwise, she wouldn't sound so tired. He opened the door.

Solanna was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, as though she were praying. However, her facial expression did not look as serene as it likely would if it were that.

"It's you" she said blankly, sounding completely indifferent to the fact that Lucas had just entered the room.

"Yes. It is me" he replied, not sounding much less blank.

"What do you want?" Solanna asked him. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but I'm kind of tired. I guess that's what you get when it's raining outside".

"I was just wondering if you forgave me" Lucas said. He'd decided to cut right to the chase. "I saw Tristan abusing Takali, and I couldn't just _not_ act, you know?"

"For the record", Solanna replied, "I _have_ forgiven you. So have Tanner and Andromeda. But they won't forget. They'll never forget".

Words four through seven of what the girl had said stuck in Lucas's mind. _I_ have _forgiven you._ He barely paid attention to what she had said after that.

"They've forgiven me, too?" Lucas asked. _This is better than I thought it would be. What a relief._

"Yes, but, like I said, they'll never forget. It's not easy to forget you doing something like that, running in and battling Tristan. But, from what they told me, they're not that mad at you anymore".

Lucas couldn't help it. He started crying at that. Large, fat tears came streaming down his face and began staining Solanna's bedsheets. He wasn't happy about that, but he ignored it for now. He was caught up in relief.

"Don't cry, Lucas. You did what you had to do. I just think that they might not have gotten over it for a while, what you did. Like I said, it'll be almost impossible for them to get it out of their minds".

The thing was, he could imagine that. He could imagine how a memory like that could stick with Andromeda and Tanner forever. And, the more he thought about, the less he believed that Solanna would be able to forget it either. It was just such a pervasive memory.

 _I really hope,_ Lucas thought, _that I can forgive myself for this._

He hadn't felt guilty when he was actually doing it, nor had he felt guilty immediately after. In the moment, he had felt like he was doing what he had to do in order to rescue Takali from his abusive master.

Now, he wasn't so sure. He hadn't been a pacifist by any means even before the fight, but he'd really only been a part of playful fights with his brother. But serious fights, like the one he'd participated in with Tristan, left him feeling a lot more uneasy.

 _Get over it,_ he told himself. _The others are ALREADY over it. Why can't you get yourself past it as easily as them?_

For whatever reason, he got the feeling that the answer was a lot more complicated than that.

An hour later, Andromeda and Tanner got up. They both confirmed with Lucas that they had forgiven, but not forgotten. As a result, Lucas felt marginally better about everything.

In order to make sure Takali knew that he cared about him, Lucas allowed the Totodile to have some of his Kalos toast with strawberry sauce. It wasn't unusual at all - Tanner was feeding Tavua a piece of his omelet, and Solanna and Andromeda were also giving their Pokemon small portions of their breakfasts. Really, it would have been weird for Lucas to _not_ be doing so.

"I think we can reach Floaroma City today" Andromeda said, looking at the map. "And then we're going to challenge Ariel. I know that we won't get any badges from it, but still…".

Tanner suddenly looked excited. "I know something we can do just a bit north of the city. Maybe not today, but maybe tomorrow would be a possibility".

"I think", Solanna replied, "that we could maybe fit it in today. But what is your idea?"

"Ziplining" Tanner said casually, as though he were saying what he planned to have for lunch that day.

Lucas's eyes widened. "But I'm afraid of heights" he replied, probably sounding like a 6-year-old upset that they couldn't get candy at the store. He wished that he could have not sounded so pouty, but controlling his tone of voice was something he'd always had problems with.

"I was afraid of heights when I first did it in Hoenn" Andromeda said. "Didn't change the fact that I had a really good time doing it".

"Wait...you've done it as well?" Lucas asked him.

"Yeah" Andromeda replied. "My family's rich, but not as rich as Tanner's. I've done it before".

"They had one at my summer camp" Solanna said. "But it was kind of a sorry excuse for a zipline. It only went about forty feet high, and you could tell that, beyond trying to make it as safe as possible, not a lot of effort was put into it".

"I see" Lucas said. "That makes me the odd one out, it appears. We'll do it later today, though, I guess. If they have space".

"Yeah. Let me call and see" Andromeda replied. "We should probably go somewhere else, though, so that I can place the call in peace".

"Call for reservations?" Lucas asked.

"Yep. Just to make sure that they have space for us. And, if they do, we'll still have to get our parents on board".

"Why do we need our parents' permission?" That was, once again, Lucas speaking.

"Because we're all under 18" Tanner replied. "We can all fill out the liability waivers, but a parent or guardian needs to sign them. At least, that's the way it was in Hoenn. It might be different up here in Sinnoh, but I kind of doubt it".

Even though it had been his suggestion, the remaining slice of Kalos toast on his plate didn't appear too appetizing to Lucas anymore. He couldn't help but think that, before the day was out, he'd be sliding down a cable in midair.

He was rather afraid of heights, or, at least, of activities involving great heights. His father was afraid of heights as well, but in a different way, if that makes any sense at all.

For Lucas, anything that necessitated that he wear a harness and climb was scary. However, sitting in the top box at a sporting event was not scary for him. His father was just the opposite.

 _Nope. I can't think about my father right now._

He supposed that he would have to call his parents in order to get permission to go on the zipline. He hadn't spoken to his father in the entire four weeks since he'd left home, only talking to his mother on the phone.

The reason for this, of course, was that his father was very often busy with work. It hadn't been unusual for him to go on business trips to other cities in Sinnoh, as well as places in Kanto and Johto. Many people might have been jealous of Rodney Snow for having such a job that involved so much travelling and getting to see the world.

The truth, however, was that it was quite rough. Not only was it rough on Rodney, but it was rough on his family as well. It wasn't uncommon at all for the family to be on vacation, and then his father had to take a call. This happened all the time, and Lucas was just used to it by now. That didn't mean that he had to like it, however. And he really didn't.

As soon as all of them were finished with breakfast, Andromeda walked over to the pay phone. "Let's try our luck, shall we?" he said.

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JULY 11, 201X - 9:43 AM**

 **ROUTE 204, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 80 DEGREES**

Sam had started along the route that morning. Just gotten up and left from where he had been.

It was still raining, yes, and he was quite miserable. But he was pleasantly surprised when the rain stopped a little after half past eight.

He could have jumped for joy, except for the fact that, like before, he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. The goals of the mission that had been in place since the very beginning were still in place today.

 _It's not a big problem,_ he told himself. _No matter what, I am GOING to do this. I am GOING to find the children._

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice when his next step went right through the ground.

 _Really?,_ he thought. _Quicksand? Here?_

He supposed that he should have expected it, after it had rained this much. But he didn't panic. He didn't know just how strong the suction was, but he remembered what he'd learned about it, how it usually wasn't more than a few feet deep, and how most deaths from falling into it occurred not from drowning, but from starvation or dehydration.

 _Don't panic,_ he told himself. _It's all going to be fine. I'm going to get out of here, and then I'm going to find the children. It can't be long, now._

The more he thought about it, however, the more he was panicking. He knew that, the more he struggled, the faster he'd end up sinking. And he _really_ didn't want to sink any further down than he already was.

Was there anybody who would come by to help him? It was a good thing that he wasn't wearing one of those Team Rocket shirts with the giant red R on them, or else that would have been a dead giveaway. As it was, he couldn't help but wonder if anyone suspected it.

Truth be told, he really didn't care. He'd been trained to be an escape artist when he was at the base, and his task right now was to escape the quicksand, whether he could get somebody to help him out or not. Afterwards, he'd escape that person if need be. But the first priority was getting himself out of _here._

Sam got on his back and was able to start floating. Now that he saw the area more clearly, he saw that the mud puddle was roughly ten yards wide, and that it had been in an area that was formerly sandy and muddy. Luckily, he was towards the edge of the pit, so it wouldn't be too hard for someone to pull him out.

"SAM! Is that you?"

The young man being addressed turned around to find that it was someone familiar talking to him. He didn't want to think that it might have been a police officer, but since the person appeared to know him by his first name, he was willing to hazard a guess that it wasn't.

"Yes, it is" Sam replied. He had nothing to hide, after all. If this person knew who he was, so be it.

"Let me help you out of there. You really don't look happy".

 _Thanks. How observant,_ he thought sarcastically. _I'm stuck in this pool of what must be quicksand. Of COURSE I'm not happy._

Sam was able to turn around and see that it was a familiar face helping him out. About two inches taller and wider than him, the man standing before the mud puddle was someone he very much recognized.

"Muller?" he asked. "I know you".

Muller Bigshot was the name of one of Sam's friends from the complex of Charlie's Angels. He'd left three months before on the same mission: To scope out and eliminate any threats to Team Rocket. Thus far, it had appeared, the mission had been unsuccessful.

"Sam! It's great to see you again. I thought I never would".

"Yeah, well, that's great and all", Sam replied, "but please help me get out of here. We're not going to be able to team up to try and find the children if I drown in this pit of quicksand".

"Of course" Muller said. "Let me help you get out of here".

Muller grabbed Sam's arms and, with a great heave, pulled him out of the quicksand. Sam's sneakers were still on his feet, but they left giant indentations in the muck. These indentations closed up almost immediately, however, leaving little evidence that they had ever been there in the first place.

Once back on dry land, the two men shook hands. "What you need now is a shower" Muller told Sam. "Unfortunately, we're not going to get it for a while".

 _Great. Now I'm going to stick out for looking like I just climbed out of a pool of quicksand...which, to be fair, I did._

"It's fine" Sam replied. "I can wait. But I do have a question for you".

"Yeah?"

Sam knew that he was skating on thin ice here. He didn't think there was any way that Muller would turn on him here, but he was still quite nervous to ask, "Why did you bother saving me?

"Because you're a valuable member of the team" Muller replied. "Besides, two pairs of eyes are better than one. And we're in the same boat, aren't we?"

"In what way?"

"My deadline is also July twenty-fifth" said Muller. "I've been told that the same is true of you. Why don't we just work together to get this done? We got this together, if we are going to be able to work together".

"Trust me", Sam replied, "you'll be able to work with me".

"We're golden, then" the other man said. "We're going to keep looking for them. And we're going to find them; our jobs depend on it".

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	30. Companion

**With this chapter, we just barely cross the 100,000-word mark. We're now in an elite group, people. And it feels good to be among the champions.**

 **This chapter was...all right. I thought it was pretty cute, if it is rather short. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

* * *

 **SATURDAY, JULY 11, 201X - 10:55 AM**

 **FLOAROMA CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 80 DEGREES**

"Wow. This is quite the place" Solanna said.

As they looked over the edge of the hill, the four trainers were shocked at what they saw. It wasn't anything particularly appalling, it was just...surprising. They were only a day away from Jubilife City, and this was what they found.

Just like Jubilife City, this city lay at the bottom of a large valley. However, that was where all of the similarities ended.

Most of the buildings were made of simpler materials, like brick and stone, than any of the children were used to. None of them could have been more than five stories high, except for the very largest mansions. Narrow dirt roads led around the whole area, but there weren't too many people around.

"So _this_ is Floaroma City" Tanner said. "I've heard a lot of stories about this place; I hope it lives up to those stories".

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked him.

"I've been to a lot of other places in Sinnoh. I've never been here, just because this place is kind of off the beaten path. It's not often that you see families like mine deciding to travel here, but what I have heard about it is just amazing".

Indeed, as Lucas looked out over the city, he had to admit that he was amazed as well. Those houses that were made of wood had small gardens nestled on top, with tulips, daffodils, and other sorts of flowers decorating them. These gardens were for the most part, covered in a light green grass that helped to sustain the flowers. Solar panels, too, covered many of the homes.

"This town must be determined to go green at all costs" Lucas said.

"Well, yeah" Andromeda replied. "According to one of the books we read while staying in Jubilife City, this has been rated as the most environmentally friendly city in Sinnoh. Of course, that's not surprising when you consider that there are no cars here".

"No cars?" Solanna asked.

Peering into the distance, Lucas could see for miles. The city went on for miles, but, the whole way, he didn't see a single motor vehicle, only bicycles and carriages drawn by Rapidash.

"I guess not" Lucas replied. "I can't see any of them".

"That's good", Andromeda said, "because, like I said, there aren't any. In any case, we can probably only stay here for about three hours. It's about two hours' walk from here to the edge of Eterna Forest".

It was no secret to any of them why they had to be there at a certain time. The zipline tour left at five in the afternoon, and all four pairs of parents had agreed that their children could try it out.

"There only needs to be one person fifteen or older" Andromeda had said, "and I'm that person". He'd looked around the room, as if daring anyone to disagree with him. Nobody had, of course, since all four of them were very excited to do it.

Now, back in the present, Lucas could feel his legs shaking a little. He knew that there was still a lot of walking that they'd need to do today, that he couldn't let his legs give out on him. He was filled with a kind of nervous excitement that he'd only had a very few times in his life.

 _Easy, Lucas,_ he kept telling himself. No matter how many times he told himself that, however, it wasn't working. He couldn't wait to try this out, even if it was the scariest thing he'd ever done.

They walked into the village, and Lucas allowed himself to become immersed into what was going on. Unlike Jubilife City, which was very loud, bright, and confusing, this was more his pace. There were occasionally puddles in the street, but they'd mostly dried up by now in the summer sun.

 _No, not village,_ he reminded himself. _It's a city. Call it what it is._

According to Andromeda, the city had a population of 71,881, making it nearly twice the size of Oreburgh City. At this point, Lucas liked to think of Oreburgh City as just a distant memory. Certainly, being trapped in the mines underground felt like a memory that had happened so much longer than three weeks ago.

Unlike Jubilife City, where he'd nearly gotten run over by a car on multiple occasions, Lucas felt in his element here. He only had to get out of the way of a bicycle once or twice, and here he was actually paying attention to things. The last two weeks had been very humbling for him.

They came across what appeared to be a farmer's market in the middle of the city. The owner, a mustached man with skin a color that reminded Lucas of hot chocolate, was standing behind his boxes of peaches, fanning them over to keep them cool.

"Hello" the man said. "Would you like to buy some? It's three bucks for five".

"No thanks" Andromeda replied. "We're just passing by. But thanks for the offer".

"No problem, no problem" the shopkeeper replied.

Just then, a yellow blur came running by, upsetting the table on which the peaches had been set. Piles of fruit toppled onto the ground, like a wave of water crashing onto the street.

"HEY!" the owner yelled. "That is _mahogany!"_

"Mahogany?" Tanner asked.

"It's the type of peach" the shopkeeper said. "Don't ask me why they're called mahogany peaches; I have no fucking clue. In any case... _nobody_ defiles my wares!"

"Guess it's time to go after whatever that was" Solanna said.

The other three looked at her with a strange expression. Since she wasn't the fastest runner, they hadn't expected her to be the one to advise that they make an attempt to catch it. At the same time, however, it was quite tempting.

"He seems pretty fast to me" the shopkeeper said in his untraceable accent. "It will not be easy to catch him, but you can try. It appeared to be a Pikachu".

From what Lucas could remember, Pikachu could run fast, but they couldn't run fast for a very long period of time at all. If they could manage to corner it, and it was tired out, it wouldn't be that hard to catch the Pikachu.

Keyword being _if._

Lucas decided to think optimistically, though, something that was generally very difficult for him. If anything can be said about Lucas, it was that he was pessimistic by nature, and chose to expect the worst out of life. It wasn't the most uplifting way to look at the world, but he thought it was the most realistic. That way, you would never be disappointed.

The four trainers started sprinting through the marketplace. At one point, they almost trampled an old lady who was taking her Lillipup for a walk. Lucas felt a little guilty for that, but they didn't stop to apologize. They didn't have that luxury.

Soon, they ran into an obvious problem; they didn't know where to go. In the last few minutes, they hadn't seen the yellow blur anywhere nearby, and it was increasingly looking like they had lost it.

At first, Lucas wanted to think that it was just as well, that it was better to just leave a Pokemon out in the wild. But then he corrected himself, remembering that, if it was that way, he might as well forsake all of his Pokemon, and force his travelling companions to do so as well. That wasn't going to happen, so...yeah.

As they ran further and further towards the village's central marketplace, Lucas began to think that this was pointless. The Pikachu was just too far away, and too well hidden in the middle of everything.

Just when he was about to declare that all hope was lost, and that they should just give up, they found their target.

A cute yellow Pikachu was standing in the middle of the bazaar, turning its head back and forth as if it were trying to figure out which stall it should go to. The children could tell it was male because...they just could.

He was panting, as though he had just sprinted a great distance. It was then that they knew with absolute certainty. _This_ was the Pikachu who had upset the boxes of peaches earlier.

"Catch him!" Lucas shrieked, which probably wasn't the smartest move.

The Pikachu heard the boy's very loud voice and started running in the opposite direction through the bazaar. As the other three shot dirty looks at him, Lucas tried to brush them off. He knew that he could run pretty fast when he really wanted to, and this was definitely one of those times. He just hoped that the others could go just as quickly.

 _This isn't going to be easy,_ he thought. _We're going to have to move pretty fast_ in order to catch that Pikachu.

As they ran through the bazaar, they almost ran over some vendors themselves. Luckily, they were careful enough not to do so; if they happened to cause some wares to crash to the ground, they'd end up spending more time apologizing, time that could have been spent running to catch the Pikachu.

For a while, it seemed as though the yellow blur was too far ahead. Then, however, they spotted him in the middle of a dark alleyway. Like the rest of Floaroma City, the ground here was made of dirt, and the Pikachu was now covered in a fine layer of dust. He was panting, looking exhausted.

Andromeda gave Solanna a quick glance, one that Lucas was able to pick up on. Even though he often had a difficult time with these things, it wasn't hard to see that the intended meaning was, _He's all yours._

Solanna reached into her backpack and pulled out a Pokeball. This one didn't have a sticker on it, meaning that it wasn't holding any of her Pokemon currently. That was subject to change.

She threw it on the ground. There was a flash of light, and then the Pikachu was absorbed by the ball.

"What a catch, Solanna!" Tanner exclaimed. "That was quite crazy".

"Thanks" she said breathlessly. "I try to impress".

"You did great" Andromeda replied. "You get to keep him. What are you going to name him?"

"I've had a name in my mind for a while. I think I'll call him Kasama. That just sounds really cool to me".

"Kasama it is, then" Lucas said. Wiping a bit of sweat off of his nose, he said, "Well...let's find some place to eat. I don't know about you, but all that running made me hungry".

* * *

They ended up finding a small cafe on the outskirts of the city. It appeared to be quite a friendly place; the woman running it had a perpetual smile. Due to this, they had decided that this was the place they should eat.

As they sat at a table, Solanna decided to bring her Pokemon out of their Pokeballs. Aparri, Bayon, and now Kasama were now sitting beside her as she took a sip of her ginger ale.

"Who are you guys?" Kasama asked. The little Pikachu looked extremely nervous, like Lucas sometimes felt when he was going to meet new people. Of course, since Kasama really _was_ meeting new people, that wasn't a big surprise.

"We're not going to hurt you, if that's what you're asking" Andromeda replied, clearly trying to sound as calm as possible. "We noticed that you were causing some havoc in the middle of the bazaar. Did you see the crates of peaches that you caused to fall to the ground?"

"I didn't mean to do that" the Pikachu replied timidly. "I was just...running away from someone".

Orkun, who had also been let out of his Pokeball, looked as though he had a newfound sympathy for Kasama.

Lucas remembered being told, somewhere, that Orkun's previous trainer had been abusive towards him. In a month of knowing the Lucario, he'd never asked about the details. They were the Pokemon's to tell if he was ever comfortable discussing them. Thus far, they weren't, and Lucas wanted to respect that.

If any time was the best time to talk about it, it was now.

"We can talk about it if you want" Orkun said. "I know what you mean. By the way, my name's Orkun".

"Ar-koon" Kasama said slowly, sounding the name out like a young child learning how to speak.

"Yep" the Lucario replied. "That is my name".

"I'm the girl who caught you" Solanna said. "I'm Solanna Luzon".

"Tanner Warren".

"Andromeda Watson".

Lucas knew that it was his turn to introduce himself, and he felt a little apprehensive doing so. He found the situation highly awkward after having captured this Pikachu. If he'd had a previous trainer who hadn't treated him well, Lucas could definitely see why Kasama would be scared of anyone.

"I'm Lucas Snow" he said eventually. "Pleased to meet you".

"Your voice sounds a little different" Kasama replied. "I just realized it".

"It's because he has-" Tanner began.

"I'll explain it to you eventually" Lucas said, glaring at Tanner. "I'll discuss it on my own terms, thank you very much".

The waitress returned with their food, and Lucas was grateful that he'd been spared from talking about it. Like he had said, he preferred to talk about his autism when he was the one bringing it up, not when somebody else had mentioned it before him.

As he began eating his chicken parmesan sandwich, he listened to what Andromeda was saying.

"So...I'm looking forward to going ziplining. They had spots for eight people, so we have a bit of a decision to make. Pokemon do count as people, as long as they will fit into a harness. Otherwise, they can't come".

Kasama looked dismayed. "I'm afraid of heights" he said, as though he were being forced to do it.

"Nobody's making you do it, Kasama" Solanna replied, biting into a piece of the salami pizza she was sharing with Andromeda. "Just the four of us, and some other Pokemon, possibly".

"I'm in" Orkun said suddenly. "I really want to do this".

All four humans, as well as the Pokemon that were still out of their Pokeballs, looked at the Lucario curiously. To Lucas, however, it was no surprise; he'd known that Lucario and Riolu were often adrenaline junkies, and, as a result, loved to do things that were even a little bit dangerous.

"You sure?" Tanner asked, sounding sarcastic. "It's nothing like it's portrayed in _South Pokepark._ It's quite fun, if you're not afraid of heights".

"Afraid of heights? Me? You should know who you're talking to!" Orkun exclaimed, taking a sip of his root beer.

"Okay, so Orkun's in" Solanna said. "We can take up to three other Pokemon. We should probably ask their consent first. Do you want to release them?"

"Sure" Lucas replied.

They released the rest of their Pokemon. Luckily, the cafe wasn't that crowded, and, as a result, there weren't too many people who batted an eye at the fact that there were now 10 Pokemon surrounding the children.

"What is this about?" Vinaka asked irritably. "I was just enjoying a very nice nap when you let me out. This had better be an extremely good reason, or else-".

"It is" Andromeda replied. "We're deciding which Pokemon are going to go ziplining with us".

Bayon's eyes widened. "Nobody ever told me about ziplining. But it sounds fun. I'll do it".

"Okay, then" Lucas said. "I guess there are two spots left".

"Me too!" Aparri exclaimed. "Ziplining sounds really fun!"

"Can I do it, Master?" Soko asked Andromeda.

"You could...but I don't know if you'd fit into a harness" his trainer replied. "We could see, though. Once we're actually at the place, we'll probably have a better idea of who can do it and who can't".

"What even is ziplining?" Aparri asked Solanna. "I've never heard of it".

Solanna whipped out her phone and went to . After typing in the word, she said, parroting the dictionary, " _Zipline. Noun, an inclined cable or rope with a suspended harness, pulley, or handle, down which a person slides for amusement"._

"I'm in" the Charmander replied enthusiastically.

Lucas was quite excited. They were about to have an extremely good time together, and make memories that would last long beyond the time that this journey lasted.

"Let's do it" Lucas said, smiling. This was going to be fun.

* * *

 **The next chapter is going to be extremely fun to write; I can't wait to do it. It'll be the ziplining chapter, and I am highly looking forward to it, since I recently had a very fun time ziplining in Canada. Expect it to be based off of my own experience there.**

 **In any case, the reason for this chapter's title is that "Kasama" means "companion" in Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 18).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	31. I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining

**I titled this chapter after the _South Park_ episode in which Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny go ziplining. The joke in that episode is that ziplining is really boring, when, in actuality, nothing could be further from the truth. **

**This is my favorite chapter thus far. It was very fun to write, and I think that it will be fun to read as well. Of course, only the reader can be the judge of that :).**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JULY 11, 201X - 4:32 PM**

 **OUTSKIRTS OF ETERNA FOREST, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 80 DEGREES**

It had sure been a long walk to get here.

In spite of leaving Floaroma City right after lunch, they had barely been able to make it to the ziplining place on time. They'd been told that they couldn't miss it, that it was in the middle of the small town they had just entered, a town whose name Lucas didn't really know or care.

The place had been easier to miss than any of them had anticipated. It was in the middle of a central mall, and they had had to ask a local, who pointed them in the correct direction. After walking down a flight of stairs, they had arrived in the proper place.

It had been agreed as to who would be the ones going on the zipline tour. According to the brochure they had picked up in Floaroma City (which was quite close to the edge of Eterna Forest, since it was only a couple hours' walk), only bipedal creatures could fit into the harnesses, meaning that only bipedal creatures could go on the tour.

All four trainers would take the tour, in addition to Orkun, Takali, Aparri, and Bayon. According to the people on the other end of the phone, nobody else had booked the 5:00 PM tour, so they'd gotten it all to themselves.

Lucas was a bit relieved by that. If he was going to end up wetting himself out of fear, he didn't want any strangers witnessing it.

As soon as they arrived in the basement, the tour operators took all of their weight measurements, just to make sure they were within the limit. Then, everyone filled out the release forms, acknowledging that yes, there was a possibility that they could be killed or injured doing so, and yes, they understood that Ziptrek Eterna bore no responsibility for it, etc..

"All right" an instructor said, walking into the room. "My name is Cameron, and I'll be one of your guides for today. We'll head into the locker room, where equipment is waiting for you".

Cameron was a short man with a thick auburn beard and glasses. He led them into the locker room, where, indeed, eight sets of ziplining equipment had been placed on the ground.

Each member of the group stood in front of a full-body harness. They were shown the proper way to put it on, and how to tighten all of the straps so that it would fit correctly and stop them from plummeting to their deaths after they stepped off the edge.

Lucas's legs were shaking. He knew that it was from excitement and nervousness, not due to any medical condition, but he couldn't help but be worried about it nonetheless. He didn't even have any reason to be worried; these guides would keep them safe, he was told.

"Can you help me with my harness, please?" he asked the other guide, who had introduced himself as David. He couldn't put it on by himself; he was always worried that he might get something wrong.

"Certainly" David replied, helping Lucas tighten the few straps that he hadn't done yet. After that had been done, he went on to help Solanna, who was having a slight bit of trouble with hers.

"They even have Lucario harnesses!" Orkun exclaimed, getting into his with a smile that showed off his fangs. "To accommodate the chest spike!"

"Yes, we prepare for that" Cameron replied. "We've got harnesses for pretty much any type of bipedal Pokemon that you can think of. Unfortunately, we don't have any four-legged ones. We're working on that".

"Yes, we are" David said. "What do you think, guys?"

"I'm ready for some adventure!" Takali exclaimed.

"So am I!" shouted Bayon, punching the air.

"Okay" Cameron said. "Now, follow me out of this little dungeon and into the van. It's a ten-minute ride to our first line".

Once all of them had gotten helmets on as well, Cameron led them into a white van that was parked on the side of the road.

"This'll take us up the hill towards the start of the canopy tour. The highest zipline is at a height of roughly a hundred and sixty feet above the ground".

Lucas's heart skipped a beat. He'd known that the ziplines were going to be fairly high, but hearing an exact number made him anxious.

 _It's okay,_ he told himself. _They won't let me fall._

Beside him, he noticed that Orkun was patting him on the back, causing his harness to jingle a little. Clearly, the Lucario was trying to comfort his master.

"You can tell that I'm nervous?" he whispered at Orkun.

The Lucario nodded. "I can sense your aura. You seem quite scared to me".

"It's okay to be nervous" Cameron said from the passenger seat of the van. "It's completely normal. Ziplining can be quite scary when one is doing it for the first time. I'm assuming that this is your first time?"

"It is" Lucas replied. "And yeah, I am nervous".

"This is Ziptrek Eterna" David replied, still maintaining all of his focus on the road. "Our gear is top-notch. Nobody has ever fallen off the zipline".

"You sure?"

"Yep".

As they drove up a fairly steep hill, Cameron explained that the zipline course was between two large hills, over a creek. He also talked about the various types of flora and fauna that could be found there, such as Flying Pokemon.

"There have been no human-Pokemon collisions on the ziplines" David said. "Don't worry about that. Those that fly through the canopy know perfectly well to avoid the cables".

The ride, even though it was probably only about ten minutes or so, felt interminable to Lucas. All he wanted was to get to the top of this hill and get going, because his legs were still shaking. He got the feeling that it would no longer be so once they had actually started.

"We're here" Cameron said finally. Solanna got out first, followed by Aparri, Andromeda, Tanner, Bayon, Takali, Orkun, and then finally Lucas. They all lined up next to Cameron.

"There are a few words we'd like to say to you guys before we begin" David said. "Just a few safety tips, to make sure that we don't have any problems. I don't think that you guys are going to have any problems on the ziplines, but, just to make sure, we do have to go over these tips".

David went on to explain that one should keep their hands clear of the zipline cable, just to avoid injury. He also showed them how to put the carabiners, the metallic devices attaching the person to the cable, through the shoulder straps of their harnesses, so that they could avoid having it constantly banging against their legs as they walked. "There is a good amount of walking on this tour" he said.

After a few more minutes, David said that it was time to go. He led them through a door onto a platform perhaps twenty feet above the forest floor, and then talked about the tree that stuck through the middle of the platform. He then showed them where the zipline began.

A metallic cable almost as thick as Lucas's wrist was attached to a tree behind the platform. Said cable ran above the tops of several pine trees, and then into the distance. Looking into the distance, Lucas could vaguely see where it ended, but, thanks to the small pine trees, it was impossible to tell how high the cable went.

"That looks awesome!" Tanner exclaimed out of nowhere.

Cameron looked at him. "Have you ever been ziplining before?"

"Yes" he replied. "In Hoenn. They have a lot of jungle tours there, with lines six hundred feet high".

 _Six hundred?,_ Lucas thought. _That's insane. Even this is insane._

If someone had told Lucas, a month ago, that he would be harnessed to a cable and flying down it at high speed, he would have laughed at them. He'd done a lot of interesting things in his life, but never anything like this.

"Well, I hope that you enjoy this" Cameron replied. "Here's how it's going to work. David will zip down first in order to catch people at the bottom, and then you will each go one at a time. I have the walkie-talkie system going, and you'll open the gate and step off".

Right on cue, David stepped up to the edge and attached himself to the cable. After Cameron pressed a button to open a small gate, David zipped off into the distance.

"All right! Who's going to go first! Get in line!"

Lucas reacted quickly. Even if he was nervous, he wanted to get this over with. He knew that this wasn't the only line on the tour, and he wanted to know if he would enjoy it overall.

When the dust settled, Lucas was right behind Orkun, who would be going first.

"All right! Lucario, what is your name?"

"Orkun" Orkun replied. "It means "thank-you" in Khmer, the national language of a country called Cambodia".

"Cambodia? Where's that?" Cameron replied, as he helped to attach Orkun's harness to the steel cable.

"On another planet" the Lucario stated simply.

"All right" Cameron said. "As soon as I say go, whenever you are ready, you will walk down those stairs and step off into the sky. You'll soar like an eagle above the treetops, and you'll get to the other side pretty soon. Enjoy the ride".

"Thank you" Orkun replied.

The children and Pokemon all watched as Cameron said something into his walkie-talkie, then pressed a button to open the gate. "Whenever you're ready".

Orkun, the adrenaline junkie that he was, jumped off almost immediately. "Yeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh!" he yelled, soaring above the treetops.

At some point, someone shouted something, and Orkun made two symbols that looked like the letter Y in sign language. Lucas didn't really know what that was about, but he was going to do it if he was told to.

"You're next, Lucas" Andromeda said.

He looked down at his feet. "I guess I am" he said, sounding slightly timid. Nonetheless, he walked over to the guide.

"It's fun, don't worry" Cameron told him.

 _I must be insane,_ Lucas thought as he stepped forward and allowed the guide to attach his harness's carabiner to the cable. _But I'm doing this anyway._

His heart started pounding so hard that he thought it would beat its way out of his chest. As Cameron spoke into his walkie-talkie, the boy's legs trembled more and more.

"All right. I've been informed that Orkun is off the zipline at the other end, so I'll just press this button here".

After Cameron pressed the button, the gate opened. "Whenever you're ready" he said to Lucas.

At this point, Lucas's heart had made its way up to his throat. As soon as he was pushed off, he was ready to go flying. He had his doubts as to how the cable would manage to hold him.

 _Thousands of people have done this before, and it's never failed, or else they wouldn't do this anymore,_ he told himself. _What are the odds it fails now?_

With trepidation, he stepped onto the first stair after the platform. The rope attaching him to the cable extended further. On the second step, it extended to the point that it was becoming difficult for him to stand.

It was then that he stepped off.

The feeling was one of pure exhilaration. He'd been expecting his stomach to drop, much like it does when one goes on a roller coaster, but that didn't happen.

"Shaka brah!" someone yelled from a nearby platform, and Lucas extended his hands, making two Y symbols in sign language. A snapping sound and a flash of light told him that a photograph had just been taken.

 _Quite a skilled photographer,_ he thought. _To be able to take pictures when the client is on a zipline._

But then the true fun started. Lucas ended up looking down, which, contrary to what Tanner had told him, was not a mistake. The way he was harnessed in enabled him to sit down, and it felt like he was sitting on air (which he supposed he kind of was). He looked down at the creek about twenty meters below him, and that made things feel even cooler.

Far sooner than he had wanted, the ending platform came into view, and he instinctively put his legs up. Even though he'd never been ziplining before, he knew that a lot of them made you do that.

"Not necessary, Lucas" David said as he unhooked the boy from the zipline. "You don't have to put your legs up here; the braking is all done for you. That's the way all the equipment is set up".

"I see" Lucas replied. He was quite in awe of the whole thing.

Above all, he had _enjoyed_ it, far more than he had expected. Many people would have been scared to death, and Lucas had thought that it would be the same way for himself. However, it turned out that that was not the case.

After clearing the landing area, he looked back across the creek, towards the place from which he had started. And, when he saw that, he was amazed.

 _I just zipped down that!,_ he realized with a jolt of pride. _If I can do something like that...who knows what I can do?_

As he climbed up the steps towards where Orkun was, he patted himself on the back.

"What did you think of it?" the Lucario asked him, once Lucas got up to his level.

"I thought it was really fun!" Lucas exclaimed happily. "I really want to do it again".

"Well, you're in luck, because there are five more ziplines on this tour" David replied. "Trust me, if you liked that one, you're going to love the others".

The young boy smiled. He had a feeling that the guide was right. He was so happy that he hadn't stayed behind on the ground; this was an experience that he would never forget.

* * *

They had to wait for everybody else to reach the end of the zipline before they could proceed to the next one. Cameron went last of all. Once they were there, David led them up a trail that led, he told them, to the next zipline.

Normally, Lucas didn't mind doing a lot of walking. Being a trainer kind of required that. However, when one was wearing a full-body harness with a heavy carabiner that had to be placed through the shoulder strap, it was much more tiring.

They reached the next zipline eventually, which appeared a decent bit taller than the first one. From here, it was clear to see the various types of trees that populated the area, as well as the creek below.

"This one starts at about a hundred feet above the creek" David explained to them. "As before, I'll go first and make sure that you guys have a clear path on your way down. That's the way it's going to go".

He strapped himself in and zipped down, spreading his "wings", for lack of a better word. Cameron then announced that they could go upside down on this one if they wanted to.

"I'll pass" Lucas groaned. He really would have rather seen the forested wilderness as what it really was, rather than a distorted version of it. That, and he was scared to go upside down and accidentally unclip himself from the cable.

"I'll do it" Tanner said, getting first in line. The guide showed him how to go upside down, and then, as soon as the gate had been opened, the 14-year-old boy stepped off.

Tanner's screams of excitement were barely audible within a few seconds, and Lucas realized that this one had to be pretty fast. Since he'd already figured out that ziplining was nothing like going on a roller coaster, however, he was perfectly fine with that.

"Okay...who's next?" Cameron asked.

Solanna volunteered. Like Tanner had, she chose to go upside down, hanging onto the cord harnessing her to the cable like a sloth. The more Lucas saw of it, the more convinced he became that he didn't want to do it.

In spite of not going upside down, Lucas had a very good time on the second zipline, as well as all of the ones after it. It was only once he reached the fifth zipline that anything of note happened.

"This is the highest one" Cameron said. "A hundred and sixty feet, or a little under fifty meters, above the creek. I think you'll enjoy it very much, though; the view from up here is absolutely incredible".

Lucas agreed with that, even though he didn't say anything to that effect. He was a little too excited in order to do that.

The past hour and a half had been one of the most exciting such time periods of his life. As stated above, he had never thought that he would ever be one of the people who did something like this, and yet here he stood, 160 feet above the forest floor, about to embark on another zipline.

The sun was also sinking as well. It wasn't quite at the horizon yet, but it was only a matter of time before it was behind the hills and mountains in the distance - the foothills of Mount Coronet, tallest mountain in Sinnoh.

He felt so grateful to be able to share this experience with the others. He couldn't remember who had gotten the idea to go ziplining, but he wanted to give that person a major pat on the back.

Above all, Lucas couldn't wait to tell his mother all about this. He decided that, once they got back to the start of the tour, he would go to the nearest pay phone and call his mother.

All too soon, they reached the sixth and final line. It stretched out over the hill, through a large clump of pine and spruce trees. The town was visible from here. In fact, according to David, they were going to practically zip right back into town.

Lucas was the first one to volunteer for this line. As he peered into the distance, he could see the finishing platform - far, _far_ away. He could barely even see the ground from here, but he knew that there was only one way down.

"Enjoy the ride, it's your last one" Cameron said, attaching Lucas once more to the cable.

The boy took a deep breath. He hadn't expected it to be over so soon; they'd all been told that the tour would take two and a half hours. According to his phone (which he'd attached to his coat using a device he'd bought from the starting location), it was only 6:41 PM.

After once more pressing the button to open the gate, Lucas was told to step off into the air. Looking through the spruce trees, Lucas couldn't see the finishing platform; it must have been pretty far away.

He took a step. The cord continued stretching until it was nearly taut, making it difficult for Lucas to stand. Then, he stepped off.

"Yee-haw!" he exclaimed as he flew over the trees, eighty feet above the ground. He decided that there was very little more entertaining than this; he'd make sure to tell his mother all about it that evening, as soon as he got the chance.

Lucas saw that there was a net ahead of him, right before the finishing tower. _I'm about to crash into that net!,_ he thought with a start. He continued sitting back in his harness, while bracing himself for the impact with the net. He didn't want to get stuck there.

And then the net was lowered, enabling Lucas to pass through. He reached the end, and David unhooked him from the zipline.

"We like to fake them out there" the guide said. "We think it's funny when they think that they're about to crash into that net, and then they don't. Sorry if we scared you; it's just what we do".

"How cruel" Lucas replied, not knowing if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Well…" David replied.

The boy didn't wait for the guide to say anything, so Lucas simply stood off to the side as he watched the next person come in.

As it turned out, it wasn't a person at all, but a Pokemon, who went down the line next. It was Orkun, and he looked slightly freaked out by the net as well. However, when the net was lowered, and the Lucario sailed through, he looked genuinely happy.

"That...was...amazing!" Orkun exclaimed.

"Glad you enjoyed it" Lucas replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. It shouldn't have been so hard - after all, the boy had enjoyed it almost as much as his Lucario. At the same time, however, he was a little tired. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, since there weren't going to be any more lines after this.

After slipping the carabiner through the shoulder strap of his harness, Lucas walked over to Orkun. He threw his arms around the Lucario, and Orkun did the same to him.

The two of them stood like that until Takali came down. The Totodile looked extremely timid, although he had clearly been great at hiding it.

"I should have never gone ziplining!" Takali exclaimed, as he was let down. "That net really freaked me out".

"I hope it was worthwhile otherwise, though" David replied. "After all, you paid $99 for it, hopefully you enjoyed it".

"I did".

Lucas and Orkun continued hugging each other as the rest of their party came down, and, while a few of them looked at the pair with a quizzical expression, most of them seemed all right with it.

Once all eight of them had reached the end and been unhooked from the zipline, David said something that surprised all of them.

"One thing we didn't tell you was that, by doing this, you have been participating in a charitable exercise. The money that you paid to go on this tour is going to a charity dedicated to preserving Eterna Forest for future generations. So be sure to mention that when you tell everybody else about the time you chose Ziptrek Eterna".

Lucas smiled further, and continued putting his arms around Orkun, being careful of his chest spike. Luckily, the harness he was wearing made it a little easier to avoid, but it was still something one had to be mindful of.

"That was amazing" the Lucario whispered. "I'm so proud of you, Lucas".

Lucas was proud of himself as well. He'd conquered his fear of heights, at least for this. More importantly, he'd had a great time with his friends, and bonded more closely with his Lucario.

As they were led down the hill and back to the beginning of the tour, he couldn't help but feel very happy indeed.

* * *

Later, Lucas pushed a few coins into the slot next to the pay phone. After the console lit up, showing that he had indeed paid enough money for the call, he dialled the number for home.

As usual, it was Aubry who answered. "Lucas!" she exclaimed. "It's so great to get to talk to you again!"

 _Arceus, it's not like she expected me to die, right?,_ he thought, slightly angrily. However, he was able to get past that.

"Hey, Mom" Lucas replied. "How's it going?"

"Just cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. You know, Jason really misses you. He'd love it if you guys came to visit some time".

His heart dropped a little. He knew that they were a very long way from home, and that they wouldn't be coming back for some time. "I don't think that'll happen for a while" he finally said. "But I do think that, if Jason ever wants to, he can talk with any of my friends. Including Orkun".

"It's a little weird" Aubry replied. "But I've been able to understand Pokemon for quite a while. So can Rodney and Jason. I have no idea what that's all about. Do you?"

Now that Lucas thought about it, he realized that his mother was right. Before, people had always thought it strange that he could talk to Pokemon. Now, nobody even seemed to bat an eye when Orkun spoke, as though it was normal.

Of course, it was far from normal, or so Lucas thought. Something must have changed.

"No" her son replied. "I don't have any idea what that's all about. Is Jason available right now?"

"Yes. Do you want to speak to him?"

* * *

 **I love the camaraderie between Lucas and Orkun in this chapter. This is not a YAOI pair, just a friendship one.**

 **Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. Just a fun one, not too much importance to the plot, but was a joy to write. I love that ZipTrek Eterna is a thing.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 18).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	32. The Dark World

**I'm going away to see my grandparents for Easter. I may not be able to write as much; I'll probably do so in the bathroom at the hotel so as not to wake my little sister.**

 **Sorry for the short chapter; I just wanted to get in a Good Friday update. There might not be exactly 47 chapters in this story after all.**

* * *

"Yes, I would like to speak to him" Lucas replied. "I wish that I had gotten to speak to him at any of those other times, because I want to be able to catch up with my brother".

"Okay" his mother said. "Hang on for one moment; let me get him".

Lucas stood there for about thirty seconds, waiting for the voice of his brother to come onto the phone. Eventually, he heard someone say, "Lucas?"

"It's me" the boy bearing that name said into the phone. "Jason!"

"Bro!" Jason replied. "It's been so long since I've spoken to you. How is it going?"

"Quite well, actually" Lucas said. "We just got back from going ziplining".

Lucas could assume that his brother's eyes were widening on the other end of the phone, but, of course, he couldn't tell.

"That's amazing!" Jason exclaimed. "I did that last year at summer camp. It's extremely fun, isn't it? Nothing like it's portrayed on _South Pokepark_ ".

The younger brother chuckled. "Yeah, it's nothing like that. Do you want to meet any of my friends?"

"Sure" the older brother replied.

Lucas decided to give Andromeda a turn talking to Jason, followed by Solanna and then Tanner. Once Tanner was done talking, Lucas went back to the phone in order to say goodbye.

"So, Lucas…" Jason began.

"What is it?"

"What's your favorite memory from the journey so far? I can imagine that, in the last month, you've done some pretty cool things. What was the coolest?"

The younger brother scratched his chin for several seconds. There were quite a few cool things. One was touring that mine, although that wasn't really a pleasant memory. Then there were the two weeks he'd spent in Jubilife City, but that had been a restless time, one that he didn't really want to relive.

"Ziplining" he said eventually. "That's the coolest thing I've done so far. Soaring through the treetops, sitting back in your harness...it's like you're flying, pretty much".

"Well said, bro" Jason replied. "Well, I've got to go now. I love you a lot, and I hope that you come back to visit at some point. You got that?"

"Yep" Lucas said. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Good-bye, bro" the older brother said, sounding slightly wistful. And that made Lucas feel slightly guilty.

Much like he had with his mother, he'd made a promise he could not keep, that he would come home soon. And that was eating at him like crazy.

 _Get over it,_ he told himself. _It'll all be okay._

But what if it wasn't?

 _I'll see them eventually. And then I'll stop feeling guilty about this. Really, I'm on a journey. It can only be expected that I'll be away from home for an extended period of time. That's kind of the way journeys work._

Using that train of thought, Lucas was able to console himself, at least temporarily. If he kept consoling himself temporarily, he would eventually be able to turn "temporarily" into "permanently". That was the way he saw it.

"Well", Tanner said once Lucas had hung up, "do you guys want to get some dinner?"

Nobody in the group disagreed with him, so they searched the town for some kind of restaurant. Eventually, they found one that was open at this hour.

As they were eating, Andromeda said, "I don't want to stay at a Pokemon center tonight. I don't even know if there are any in this town".

"Where do you propose we go, then?" Solanna asked. "It's not like there are an infinite amount of places to sleep".

Andromeda smiled. "Well, if you're willing to sleep anywhere, there _are_ an infinite amount of places to sleep. I suggest that we head out into Eterna Forest tonight".

Lucas could have pointed out any number of things. For one, it was quite late in the evening, and they'd walked a very long way already. Couldn't they just find a hotel or Pokemon center that they could rest up at for the night? Besides, Eterna Forest was quite dangerous, from what he had heard. Not a good place for four exhausted children to walk in at night.

"Sounds like a plan to me" Tanner replied. The boy, who had just swallowed a fry, looked as though he was afraid to cross Andromeda.

 _Of course,_ Lucas thought. _He sees Andromeda as the leader of the group. And he really wanted to go on an adventure like this. It makes perfect sense, when one really takes the time to think about it._

But, the more he thought about it, the cooler it sounded to sleep in Eterna Forest. After all, he wasn't afraid of the dark. Not that much. But he figured that, after facing his fear of heights earlier in the evening, there was nothing wrong with facing another fear tonight.

"Let's do it" he said. "That sounds quite fun to me. Solanna?"

"I'm not so hot on the idea" the girl admitted. "But if everyone else does it, I will, in the interest of us all staying together".

Andromeda flashed his pure white teeth at her, as if to say, _I'm glad that we're all on the same page here._

Truth be told, even if he had assurances that things were going to be fine, Lucas was still nervous about the idea. There was no telling how many types of Pokemon might be waiting in there, biding their time for some tasty human to come along.

 _Not that many,_ he told himself. _You're overreacting. You're overreacting about everything._

But was he, really? It was quite debatable, but he supposed that he'd find out fairly soon if his worries were justified.

Once dinner was over, the four trainers found a grocery store. It wasn't that difficult to find; it stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the emptiness that came after the town.

Exactly _why_ they would put a grocery store here, Lucas didn't particularly know. Then again, he supposed that many places just defied the basic laws of logic, such as Pastoria City, where the streets were all arranged in a sort of mazelike pattern.

"Let's just buy some provisions here. Some granola bars, maybe some apples...just so that we are good for the next few days". That was Tanner speaking.

"How hard will it be to navigate the forest?" Lucas asked.

"I don't think it'll be that hard" Andromeda replied. "There are a ton of paths leading through the area, and there are no dead ends, only places that it might be considered dangerous to go across. But we'll do that if need be".

"Not the poisonous water, though" Solanna said.

"Poisonous water?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah" the girl replied. "Toxic water is typically purple in color. If you fall in, you will sink slowly and painfully. It's a worse way to die than regular drowning".

 _Well, that can't be good._

"But we won't fall in" Andromeda said. "We're going to take all the necessary precautions to make sure that we don't end up in that water. It's not a risk worth taking, and we're not going to take that risk".

Lucas could have pointed out that, if it was truly not a risk worth taking, they would have avoided Eterna Forest in the first place, but he supposed that it would have been useless. After all, he had already consented to the idea. And his consent was all that would be, and should be, required.

"All right, then" he replied. "Plenty of Antidotes, I'd imagine".

Andromeda nodded. Lucas realized, every time that Andromeda seemed to call one of the shots, that the oldest boy in the group was slowly but surely taking on the role of group leader.

They went into the store and bought a good amount of supplies. They mostly chose lightweight but high-energy provisions, because they did not know how long they'd be in the forest for. From what Lucas could tell, however, it stretched out for quite a number of miles, just based on the map alone and what it showed.

"We need to be ready for anything" Solanna said with concern. "And I mean _everything._ Those Zubats can really pack quite a punch".

When all was said and done, they had bought granola bars, juice boxes, apples, plenty of bug spray and Antidotes, and a new sleeping bag for Tanner, since he had not yet gotten one for himself. The total came out to $238.01, which Andromeda paid through their joint account.

"Have a good night, sir" the clerk said to the children.

"You too" Andromeda replied, leading the way out the door.

After that was done, they all looked at the forest in front of them. Lucas wasn't afraid of forests, but this one was different.

The dense greenery was all clumped closely together, making it appear almost like a _wall_ of leaves, or a bush that extended a hundred feet in the air. They'd seen these trees from a distance when ziplining, but it was different when they were facing the prospect, head-on, of actually walking into that forest.

"Let's do this" Tanner said. "I know that we're only going to get more worried the longer we stay out here. I also know that, once we get in there, it's going to be very hard to leave".

"We're as ready as we're ever going to be, Tanner" Andromeda replied. "Right, Lucas? Right, Solanna?"

Both children nodded, although Lucas wasn't so sure. There'd be plenty of scares in these woods, but if he was able to go ziplining, he should be able to do this as well.

With a couple of deep breaths, they headed into the forest.

* * *

The light had already faded from the sky, so, once the children were in the forest, it really didn't make much difference that they were under a large canopy of trees. Lucas thought that, in the far distance, he could see a zipline, but he wasn't quite sure. It was a little too dark to tell.

"I don't like this place" Solanna said after a while.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" Andromeda replied.

"Yes".

"Then why couldn't you have said that before?" the oldest boy all but yelled. "You could have just said, _I'm afraid of the dark._ Now, we can't go back out!"

"If I may", Solanna said back, "I recognized that the forest was the only way to get to Eterna City. That is our next destination, is it not?"

"She's right" Lucas said. He hated to take sides, but there was no denying that someone was right here, and that someone else was dead wrong. It didn't take a genius to figure that out.

"Okay" Andromeda replied. "Just stop complaining, though, okay? We should probably bed down for the night anyway".

"Sounds like a good idea" Tanner said. The rich boy hadn't spoken in a while, mostly keeping to himself as they continued their trek through the woods. The way things were going, it appeared that he wasn't too happy either.

"All right" the oldest boy said. "That settles it. We'll sleep for the rest of the night, and then, in the morning, we'll leave and keep heading through the forest".

That sounded like a plan to Lucas. They'd only been walking for about half an hour, but it was getting quite late, and it had been a long day.

All four children got into their sleeping bags. Unfortunately, they did not have pillows, meaning that Lucas was convinced that he'd have a pretty sore neck in the morning. He couldn't worry about that right now, though; he needed his sleep.

Even though he was exhausted from a day of walking, and the adrenaline from ziplining had worn off by this point, falling asleep was not easy for the boy. He kept thinking that something was going to come out of the woods and swallow the group whole. Certainly, he did not want that.

After what was probably an hour or so, he finally managed to drift off. When he did, however, he was assaulted by a nightmare.

In the past two weeks, the part of his brain that had been producing those nightmares must have been fairly dormant, because he rarely ever dreamed anymore. At least, those dreams that he did have were fairly pleasant.

However, tonight, the nightmare came back in full force.

It wasn't the same nightmare as before, though. In this dream, Lucas was standing in front of a large metal door. Looking around himself, he saw that the place seemed to be unable to decide if it was natural or manmade.

 _I'm underground,_ he realized. Deep _underground._

Lucas heard a loud rumbling noise, like the stomach of an enormous beast. Standing at his full height of 5 feet, 7 inches, he covered his sensitive ears with both hands. _What_ was this?

Alarms started blaring. Red lights started flashing. He could tell that there were people all around him, screaming, running for their lives.

 _What's going on?,_ he thought. _If it's a fire alarm, why does it have to be so LOUD? Why not just loud enough that everybody hears it?_

He stood there for five minutes, hands over ears the whole time, with absolutely no idea as to what was going on. Then, he realized.

 _I'm inside some underground bunker. And there's a cave-in._

 _I'm trapped._

His mind went racing back to the time they'd toured the mine and barely escaped with their lives. They shouldn't have survived that, but they had.

Now, he was in an unsurvivable situation. He was trapped, probably hundreds of feet underground, and there had been a cave-in.

 _I'm screwed._

* * *

 **MONDAY, JULY 12, 201X - 5:29 AM**

 **ETERNA FOREST, SINNOH**

 **TEMPERATURE INSIDE FOREST: 61 DEGREES**

Lucas woke with a start.

For a few moments, he thought, _Yes! It was all a dream! I'm not really trapped in some underground bunker! That's the best thing ever!_

And then he opened his eyes and remembered that the reality wasn't much better.

 _Eterna Forest._ The thick, perilous thicket of woods that covered a large area of land in west-central Sinnoh. That was where he and his group were now.

Solanna was still snoring in her sleeping bag. Tanner and Andromeda were a little quieter, but all three were still deeply asleep.

 _Why am I having these nightmares again?,_ Lucas wondered. _In Jubilife City, I thought that they were over and done with._

Perhaps he would only ever have them when he was travelling. Or perhaps there was some other explanation that he didn't quite understand, but would in the future.

 _I'll go with the latter,_ he decided.

The truth was, Lucas _loved_ travelling. He was getting to see so many new places, going all over Sinnoh with Andromeda, Solanna, and Tanner.

He decided that he was too lonely to keep going like this alone, so he pulled out the Pokeball that contained Orkun. Right now, he needed friends more than anything.

After the obligatory flash of light that happened whenever a Pokemon was released from their Pokeball, the Lucario appeared.

"Hello, Lucas" Orkun said. Looking around, he asked, "Is this Eterna Forest?"

"Yes" his master replied. "I never thought that I'd ever be here. Not in my wildest dreams".

"Yeah, well...something happens and you're head over heels with travelling. I'm kind of feeling that way myself".

"You are?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah" Orkun replied. "For instance, ziplining yesterday. I'm really proud of you for doing that. For an adrenaline junkie like me, it's nothing, but for someone like you...man, that must have taken some serious guts".

Lucas was about to say that it had, but then he realized that he hadn't found it that scary, just exhilarating. It was debatable as to whether it had really taken that much courage for him to do it.

"Well, thanks, Orkun" his trainer replied. "Honestly...I'm wondering what's going to happen here now. This place seems pretty dangerous to me".

"Oh, you can bet that it is" Orkun said. "I've heard stories about Eterna Forest. Zubats with bites that poison one, rivers of toxic liquid...you don't want to be here if you can avoid it".

"Great" Lucas replied. "We couldn't avoid it, so we're in the unenviable position of being forced to make our way through it. And we might die. Painfully".

For a moment, Lucas half expected Orkun to reply with, _That's the spirit!_ However, he did not, probably knowing that that would not be helpful in the least.

Eventually, the Lucario said, "I think that we'll be fine. We've been through quite a bit worse".

Lucas nodded, remembering about the time he had gotten heat stroke. That seemed like a lifetime ago, even though it had only been a few weeks since then.

The two of them sat together until the others started to show signs of waking up. Evidently, the conversation between Lucas and Orkun had done little or nothing to rouse them, because they had slept through it.

After a quick breakfast of granola bars and juice boxes, they were prepared to head back out into the woods, not knowing when they would see sunlight again.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Also, it's the fourth anniversary of Talkingbirdguy releasing his first fanfiction, Curse of the Lucario. I recommend checking those out, because they're awesome, m'kay? He's the one who inspired me to start writing, really.**

 **Anyway, I hope you will review this chapter and tell me what you think.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 18).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	33. Out of the Frying Pan

**Happy Easter! Sorry that this chapter is so short - the next one will be a lot longer, potentially the longest one the story has had so far. I'd like to thank everybody who has read, followed, favorited, and/or reviewed in the last nine weeks; it really means a lot to me.**

 **Coming home today from visiting my grandparents. I did have a good time with them, and I spent some time writing in Grandpa's favorite chair. The retirement home was very much like _The Wizard of Oz._ "And this was there, and this was there, and this was there!"**

* * *

 **MONDAY, JULY 12, 201X - 8:21 AM**

 **ETERNA FOREST, SINNOH**

 **TEMPERATURE INSIDE FOREST: 61 DEGREES**

Being inside the forest was quite shocking to Lucas. At night, it had been too dark to fully appreciate everything, and, indeed, that made things quite creepy.

Now, it was still quite dark on the forest floor, but it was much clearer to see the areas that might have been dangerous.

Very little light from the sun penetrated the dense canopy of trees. A thin layer of mist covered almost everything, giving a mysterious air to the whole place. In addition, a vague hissing could be heard just about anywhere.

 _Snakes? Please tell me it's not snakes,_ Lucas thought to himself. One of his greatest fears was to be bitten by a venomous one, and he'd probably be dead pretty soon. Luckily, in the suburbs of Pastoria City, it wasn't a common problem, but he did have a neighbor who, on one occasion, had been bitten by a snake. They'd been rushed to the hospital and had barely survived.

Now, Lucas found himself leading the way as they walked through the dark world. The reason for this had nothing to do with him being more qualified to do so; increasingly, they were deferring to Andromeda as the leader.

No, if anything, it had to do with the fact that he had such long legs. This was often the case on walks he went on with his family on the trails near his home in Gardenia. He'd be anywhere from twenty to fifty feet in front of everyone else in his group.

At one point, he stepped in the direction of what sounded like running water. Had he been remembering things more carefully, he would have known that it was a big mistake, that it was probably going to be poisonous water.

Somehow, however, it seemed inviting to him. In a way, he very much wanted to see what this was all about.

In the distance, far behind him, he thought that he could hear someone running towards him. But Lucas continued running, convinced that he could reach the source of the stream soon enough.

 _Arceus knows that we could use some water,_ he thought. _If we can drink some from here...I've heard that the water in the streams of Eterna Forest is some of the cleanest on the planet._

It was true. Many people of various religions believed that the water in Eterna Forest's many streams had healing properties, and would travel from far and wide to believe it. As far as Lucas was considered, that was complete and utter bollocks, but he did think that the water was quite clean.

Again, had he been thinking more clearly, he wouldn't have done what he did.

Pushing through a large thicket of bushes, upon which there were a great number of red berries, he found the source of the noise. If any sound could have been described as inviting, this was it. The sound of running water.

Once Lucas was through the clump of bushes, he saw it.

A river, roughly thirty yards wide, with a rapid that looked very similar to whitewater, lay before him. The water glowed a bright shade of purple, roughly a mix between lavender and magenta. The exact color was probably closer to pink than purple, but it was hard to tell from here.

It was impossible to tell how deep the river was, so Lucas lowered his hands towards the water carefully. They must have been only an inch above it when he was suddenly yanked backwards.

"What was that for?" he all but yelled. "I was just about to take a drink, that's all!"

"And that was the problem" Andromeda replied. "The water's toxic. Don't you know that purple generally means it's poisonous?"

Lucas wasn't sure that that was a universal law of everything, nor that this was for sure poisonous. He tried to wriggle out of Andromeda's grip, but the older boy was also the stronger one.

"I just saved your life, you realize?" he snarled. "Don't drink that fucking water; it's dangerous. You got that?"

The younger boy still felt the urge to take a nice long swig of that water. Something convinced him that it would be the best thing that he had ever tasted. He'd never have to drink, or eat, again if he did so.

When he tried to get out of Andromeda's grip once again, the older boy started dragging him back through the bushes. Eventually, they reached the trail once again, where Solanna and Tanner were both looking extremely relieved.

"He was about to drink from the river" the oldest boy said. "I stopped him just in time, thank Arceus".

"I've heard something else about this forest" Tanner told them. "Apparently the rivers are made to seem inviting, that they'll be the best things you ever taste. Don't fall for that; they won't be. But let me tell you something: They're the _last_ things you'll ever taste".

"He's right" Solanna replied. "And I'm willing to bet that those red berries are also poisonous. I propose that we stick to the food and drink contained in our backpacks. Those are the only things we can trust".

Lucas was now incredibly embarrassed. He'd caused them to all worry about him unnecessarily, made himself the center of attention, and not in a good way. Indeed, all of them would probably be making jokes about it for weeks.

 _Whatever,_ he told himself. _Being embarrassed is better than being dead. It was pretty stupid of me to try to drink from the river._

After they all stood there for another minute, they went back on the move, determined to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the toxic river. They did have some Antidotes, but Lucas didn't know if they would have worked on humans who had drunk water from the stream, so it was a very good thing indeed that Andromeda had been able to stop him from doing so.

Lucas decided to let Orkun out of his Pokeball. Since the Lucario had longer legs than his trainer, he could scout ahead for possible danger, so that, if there were any more poisonous streams nearby, he'd know first.

He did have some misgivings about this strategy, though. He didn't know if the Lucario would be any better at detecting signs of danger than he was. _Although,_ he realized, _if Orkun is able to detect the aura of rivers, he can probably tell that they're poisonous. So I really shouldn't be worried._

Even that realization didn't help. Not that much. He was still very scared indeed that something could end up going seriously wrong, and that Orkun would end up drinking from one of the rivers. And then they would all be in very deep trouble.

Nobody else was going to let their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, though. They'd all decided that it would be too much risk to take; the chances were very good indeed that they'd end up drinking poison water as well. They were pretty sure that the water was just as dangerous to Pokemon as it was to humans.

At another point, there was a very large creature floating in front of them. It looked almost like a cross between a gigantic butterfly and a gigantic mosquito, with white wings that practically glowed in the dark.

"Sshh…I think I know what that is" Solanna said quietly, clearly trying not to sound absolutely terrified. She didn't succeed at it.

"What is it?" Lucas asked, louder than he had meant to. That was another thing that happened sometimes; when he was scared, his voice came out very loud, something that he hoped to gain greater control over than he currently had.

"It's a Bright" she replied. "Everyone, stand back!"

To prove a point, she jumped behind a bush, disappearing from view. The others decided that they didn't particularly want to be caught out in the open like this, so they went behind her.

For a few moments, there was nothing but the hypnotic sound of one of the toxic rivers running. A chill ran down Lucas's spine once more at just how close he had come to getting killed by drinking it.

Then, there was the beating of enormous wings, and his heart stopped.

It meant that _the thing was coming for them._

As the Bright turned around and came floating once more past the children, Lucas was able to see it a little more clearly, and it was that much more terrifying for it.

The thing was ten feet in diameter and ten feet tall. Its massive white wings were flapping slowly as it made its way down the trail, looking completely ravenous. The worst part, however, were the eyes.

The eyes were just black pits, nothing more. They were the size of salad plates that are featured at buffet restaurants, and they looked as though they were staring deep into the children's souls.

One thing was clear: This beast would be absolutely remorseless if it managed to catch them. They really didn't want any piece of that.

For a few minutes, all of them waited with bated breath for the moment that the Bright would fly out of sight. It couldn't be long now; it had been fluttering in the air for quite a while. _Why_ would it want to keep doing so?

Eventually, the four trainers breathed a collective sigh of relief when it started to fly out of sight. It wasn't long until it was no longer visible.

"All right. It's out of our way" said Tanner, sounding very relieved indeed. "Should we proceed?"

"Yes", Andromeda replied, "but with caution. We don't need to end up being Bright food".

All four of them stepped out from behind the bush and went back into the woods, hoping to Arceus that they wouldn't run into anything like that again.

* * *

"So...any progress on finding the children?" Muller asked Sam as they were sitting together for lunch at a small deli.

Sam grew angry quickly. Turning to his old friend, he whispered, "We shouldn't be talking about such things. This might get people suspicious, and for good reason. After all, we _do_ work for Team Rocket".

He knew he had made a mistake by saying so, but he didn't particularly care. There was nobody else in the deli, and, as he bit into his sandwich, he was convinced that he wouldn't be seen here, talking about such dangerous matters.

"Sorry" Muller replied, raising both arms.

"It's fine" Sam said, trying to sound as calm as possible, while, in actuality, it wasn't easy for him to do so. "But, to answer your question, no. I have not had any progress, not ever since I found you yesterday".

"Well, if they pose any threat, they have to be eliminated. I don't know how we could manage to catch them, though. If we execute anyone, they'll get us immediately. Quite frankly, I don't want to be thrown in the slammer".

"Not if there aren't any witnesses" Sam replied. "We're going to be in Eterna Forest soon; if we can find them there, there probably won't be any witnesses".

The truth was, Sam was quite nervous to be heading into Eterna Forest. He knew of all the dangers that the woods held. Toxic rivers that charmed people into drinking from them, only to quickly die as a result. Poisonous berries. Large, flesh-eating creatures that enjoyed eating humans.

"Let me tell you...this is a fun job" Muller said eventually. "I've been doing it for three months, and, until now, I've seen nothing. But they're probably somewhere in the forest right now. Let me tell you, that place is a _maze"._

One of Muller's favorite phrases to use was "Let me tell you". He used it so many times that Sam often found it annoying, but he wouldn't tell him so. They'd been quite good friends back at headquarters, and things were still going quite well now.

"Let's get out of here" Sam said. He'd just finished his BLT sandwich, and had plopped the money right on the table. Muller still had about a quarter of his meatball sub left to eat, but he followed suit, slamming it down on the table.

After they left the store, they passed the entrance to Ziptrek Eterna. They'd recently gotten to the town just south of the forest, and they knew that they would need to purchase a lot of supplies in order to get through there safely.

And so that was precisely what they had done. They wanted to make sure that they were ready for any eventuality, because the truth was that anything could happen. When you were about to head into the most dangerous forest in Sinnoh, it was important to be prepared, and to expect the worst.

 _Man, it would be cool to go ziplining right now,_ Sam thought. He'd done it once with his family when he was younger, but it hadn't been in Eterna Forest. In any case, he didn't want to have to put his name anywhere. Not when he was potentially wanted for allegedly joining Team Rocket.

Now that they had backpacks with everything they thought they might need, now was as good a time as any to enter the forest.

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 18).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	34. And Into the Fire!

**This wasn't as long a chapter as I thought it was going to be, but it's still a fairly decent length. The reason for that is because I suck at writing fight scenes, including the "boss battle" that I suppose is in this chapter. It does contain a mere reference to a certain video game, but it's a very small one.**

 **In other news, I just hit five thousand (that's 5,000!) views on this story. I find that to be a very nice milestone to have hit, a little more than two months into the story. That's more than seventy views a day! And, with 30 favorites, this is well on the way to becoming a successful story.**

 **Enjoy the 34th chapter of Lucas's Adventure: Book A!**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JULY 15, 201X - 3:04 AM**

 **ETERNA FOREST, SINNOH**

 **TEMPERATURE IN FOREST: 65 DEGREES**

Three days.

That was how long it had been since Sam and Muller had entered the forest. At least, they _thought_ it was three days. It _felt_ like three days. But since so little light penetrated the thick canopy of trees, it was impossible to tell for certain.

So far, things hadn't gone very well. Not only were there no signs of the children, but, what was more, both of them had almost died on various occasions. Most of these involved either almost drinking from the toxic rivers, almost eating a poisonous fruit, or almost getting spotted by a Bright.

Sam knew all about Brights. If they managed to spot you, you were a goner. It did not matter how far away you were; they would catch up to you within a minute. Luckily for them, their eyesight was quite poor, so their field of vision was rather limited. Good.

He was getting a little sick of all this greenery. Not just the trees and bushes themselves, although those were getting a little irksome after so long.

He also hated the feeling of being unsafe, of being trapped in the woods. That was something that he had never liked, and didn't like any more now.

 _It could be all worth it,_ he told himself. _It could be all worth it._

In the back of his mind, the July 25 deadline loomed. If he didn't find the children before then, his job would be over, and he'd be left on the streets, with a criminal record to boot. He had nowhere to go back to; his parents would see him as a failure.

 _If that's the only option, I'll go back in with them. Unless they kick me out. PLEASE don't let that happen, Arceus._

Sam found it a little low to be begging Arceus for things, but, at this point, he didn't see that he had an option. Not if he failed to make the deadline.

He tried to tell himself to focus on the moment. Ten days. That was how long they had to find the children.

"What's that up ahead?" Muller asked.

Sam had been so focused on his own problems that he hadn't noticed what was in front of him.

About half a mile away, there was a clearing in the middle of the woods. The canopy opened up for a brief sixty-yard circle, and it was plain to see that it was nighttime, perhaps very early in the morning.

Sam didn't know if he had ever seen anything more beautiful in his life. Sure, they were still in the middle of the forest, but he was able to see the sky for the first time in what felt like forever.

"I don't know" Sam replied. "Muller, you've clearly got better eyes than me. I don't really see anything".

The other man playfully slapped Sam on the back. "Yep, I have better eyes than you. As soon as we get out of here, you should probably get glasses or something".

Sam knew that he was probably a wanted man, and, were he to go to a specialist, he would have to present an ID. Clearly, that wasn't going to work; the only ID card he had was the one from Team Rocket.

No; he probably didn't need glasses. It was just a joke between himself and Muller, nothing more. Really, it was all going to be okay.

When they got closer to the clearing, Sam could start to see what Muller had meant. Some gigantic, metallic, golden object was slumped over on the ground.

"What is this?" he asked once they got there.

It looked like an enormous ball with a head on it. This head had "hair" that was more like a giant spike. There also appeared to be a face on the head.

Muller took out a flashlight. Shining it on the back of the head, he was able to reveal something important.

"There's writing here - words!" he exclaimed, sounding as though he had just discovered to tomb of Sir Aaron or something like that.

"What does it say?" Sam asked, shining his own flashlight on the area.

The words read _Ancient Automaton - Koloktos._

"Koloktos?" he asked. "Really? Is that what you call an automaton?"

"Clearly somebody thought it was a good idea" Muller replied, stroking the machine. "Is there any way that we can make this thing come to life?"

"What?" Sam said.

"Oh, you really are thick, aren't you? Thicker than a loaf of bread. In any case, an automaton is like a robot. It's defined as a moving mechanical device in imitation of a human being".

"Ah". Sam knew that Muller was more knowledgeable in this field than he was. Even though Muller was only 20 years old, he was often entrusted to work on the mechanical problems that arose occasionally at the Mount Coronet base. The young man was extremely gifted with electronics, and he was generally the one who was asked to repair the PS5 in the dormitory whenever it broke down.

"In any case", Muller said, "we can make this thing go absolutely insane, in case the kids run into it. If that happens, we can quite possibly kill them".

"But we're supposed to capture them, not kill them" Sam replied, backing away from his friend. "Isn't that right?"

"Who cares? Either way, the threat they pose will have been removed, and that gives us the same benefits. I've been given the same deadline as you; if we get fired, we get fired together".

"So what are you going to do with Koloktos?"

"We can snip some of the wires in his brain, make him go absolutely haywire. Then he'll attack the kids, and it'll be absolutely brilliant. We can even attach a camera to it".

"Wait...where's the camera?" Sam asked. He didn't see one.

Muller smiled. "There's a camera on this thing. It seems that Koloktos likes to record the smashings he gives people. Which is pretty cool".

"Wow" Sam replied. He hadn't seen a camera anywhere on the automaton, but he trusted Muller's superior skills with mechanical things. If he thought that there was a way to make this thing come to life, more power to him.

"We can connect the camera to my phone" Muller said. "If the children run into this clearing, they're going to have to fight him in order to get out of it. The camera will record everything; if they die in the fight, we'll have proof".

"And then we can go show them to Charlie" Sam reasoned. "Once they come for us, I mean. It'll work perfectly".

That might have been a little bit of an overstatement, but there was no denying, at least to Sam, that it was a very good plan indeed.

"So what are you going to do?" he asked Muller.

Muller reached for the crown on top of the head of Koloktos. "If we can open his brain, I'll snip a wire. But we'll have to run away right afterwards, because it'll attack us within a minute or so".

"Let's do it" Sam replied.

Muller grabbed the crown and used it to climb up the thing's body. Once he was sitting carefully on Koloktos's body, he was able to open up the head and access the wires inside.

With one large snap, Muller pulled apart several wires contained within the automaton's brain. Now, it was going to go crazy whenever it came into contact with anyone else.

"It says here that we have one minute to get out of the clearing before this thing attacks us, and we're trapped" Sam said gingerly, shining the flashlight on a few lines that looked like instructions.

"Then we've gotta book it out of here!" Muller exclaimed. "Run like the wind, Sam!"

Both men started sprinting for the opposite end of the clearing from which they had come. It wasn't easy to tell which one it was, because of the fact that both ends of the clearing looked pretty much the same. That said, many paths in Eterna Forest were the same way.

As soon as the men had reached the exit, it wasn't long until Koloktos's heart bubbled. Soon, the golden automaton came to life, and all six of its arms extended.

However, a few seconds later, Koloktos realized that there was nobody there to attack. Disappointed, the automaton crumpled back to the ground and went back to sleep.

It would have to wait for another time.

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JULY 15, 201X - 8:53 AM**

 **ETERNA FOREST, SINNOH**

 **TEMPERATURE INSIDE FOREST: 65 DEGREES**

Lucas was getting sick of Eterna Forest.

He'd known that it went on for a long time...but surely not _this_ long? Seriously, it had been three days, or at least it had seemed that way to the four children.

Orkun was walking along with his trainer, and Lucas secretly wished that it wasn't this way.

It had nothing to do with him not caring about the Lucario. On the contrary, Lucas cared about Orkun very much.

No, this was related to his concerns that his Pokemon might get into trouble. Vinaka was also out of her Pokeball, and was walking on Lucas's left side. The autistic boy was leading the way, with Andromeda, Solanna, and then Tanner bringing up the rear. Each of them had two of their Pokemon flanking them for both protection and companionship.

As worried as he was about them, it _was_ rather comforting to have their team with them. They'd be able to take any threats together.

Luckily, they'd "only" had four Bright encounters over the last three days. All four times, they had managed to escape them, ducking behind a bush or tree until the threat had passed.

However, that had led to its own threat. At one point, Tavua had nearly drunk from the stream, as had Zapatera. That obviously would not have resulted in a good outcome. Thankfully, Tanner had been able to restrain his Pokemon at the last minute, similar to the way Andromeda had done with Lucas.

Lucas didn't know which method of death sounded more excruciating: Getting eaten by a Bright, or drinking the poisonous water/eating the poisonous berries.

Over the last three days, their rations had run out. Now, they had no food left at all. If they didn't get out of the woods (literally) soon, there would be a third potential method of death: Starvation.

He'd seen pictures of starvation victims, how their bodies had literally consumed themselves until there was almost nothing left. They were deeply chilling to Lucas, and he knew that that might be the worst way to die out of all the ones contained within Eterna Forest.

"What is that up there?" Solanna asked all of a sudden.

Lucas squinted into the distance. He couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean that there wasn't anything. They were on a pretty straight trail at this point, and a large clearing was visible in the middle of the woods.

"I don't know" Andromeda replied. "It looks like some giant golden thing...yeah, it's hard to make out for sure".

Indeed, it was. The closer they got, the more confusing it became. It looked like some kind of broken-down machine, slumped over on the ground.

"Should we avoid it?" Tanner asked from behind. "Or should we take our chances and walk past it?"

That was a difficult decision. On one hand, they had no idea what this machine was, nor what it was capable of. On the other hand, straying off the trail would mean even more danger than they were already in.

"I think the latter" Andromeda replied. "I just don't see any way that we can get through the woods without running into some sort of danger. I don't like the idea of going past that thing any more than you do, but it appears that it may be necessary.

Lucas's heart started hammering as they entered the clearing. He watched as Solanna jogged over to the side of the golden machine. From here, it was clear to see that it was made to resemble an extremely rotund man.

The machine was made of golden metal. Whether it was real gold or not, Lucas didn't know or care. All he knew for sure was that it had a head, with what appeared to be a crown colored red and gold on top. It wore a serene expression on its face, as though it were pleased with something.

"There's writing here" Solanna said, peering at the side of the machine.

"What does it say?" Lucas asked. Perhaps the writing would tell them more about this mysterious contraption, including whether or not he had reason to be terrified by it. It might tell them about how to defeat the machine.

"It says that this is an ancient automaton named Koloktos".

He didn't like the sound of that. From what he had heard, automatons could be quite dangerous. Certainly, they weren't something that he ever hoped to encounter, but, sometimes in life, things didn't happen the way you wanted them to.

"We should probably get out of here" Orkun said, gulping. Looking over at the Lucario, Lucas saw that Orkun's expression was very concerned indeed. Consternation was, indeed, the number one word that one could have used to describe it.

"Yeah", Lucas replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "We really should".

The four children, as well as all of their Pokemon, began running for the nearby exit of the clearing. However, as they were doing so, there was a large swishing noise.

Andromeda frowned. "What was _that?"_

"I don't know" Tanner replied. "But it can't be good".

"We're trapped here" Solanna all but cried. "With that... _thing,_ whatever it is".

"You said it was an automaton" Lucas replied. He remembered what he'd read about Greek legends, and what an automaton was. "If it is, this is _bad"._

Almost immediately, there was a bubbling noise. The golden parts of Koloktos started glowing a brighter yellow, and it stood up.

Six long, yellow, metal arms grew. Its head moved upwards on its body, and an expression that looked utterly merciless formed on its face.

Inside its stomach, a small red heart beat once per second. There was a purple substance surrounding it, and golden bars trapped it inside the automaton's body.

One thing was clear: This thing was about to kill them, unless they could do something about it right away.

* * *

"I'll climb!" Lucas exclaimed. "Let me rain down on him!"

None of the others asked the boy what it meant to "rain down" on Koloktos, but they didn't question him on that. Lucas was just glad that the others seemed to trust him, because he wasn't sure that he trusted himself.

Solanna began running in circles around the automaton, clearly trying to make it dizzy. Lucas wasn't sure that it was even possible to make a robot dizzy, although, if that was what she was trying to do, it sounded like a good enough idea to him.

"Nice, Solanna! Keep it up!" Andromeda yelled.

Koloktos brought two of his massive arms upwards and paused for a moment. After that, it reached back and heaved two objects at Solanna.

"What are those?" Tanner yelled.

"Keep running, Solanna!" Andromeda yelled again. "Those must be swords!"

 _Swords?,_ Lucas wondered. _How does that thing even have swords?_

"We've got to beat this thing down!" he yelled from the tree. He'd run over to one with a lot of low branches and attempted to climb it; however, that was easier said than done. With each step up, it felt like he was faltering a little more.

At first, he thought about how afraid of heights he was. Then, he realized that he shouldn't have been; after all, he had been _ziplining._ When compared to that, climbing this tree should have seemed like nothing.

And yet it didn't. With each step he went up, he found that Koloktos appeared smaller and smaller. He must have been forty feet high at this point, and the automaton could not have been more than twelve feet tall.

 _I'm going to do this,_ he thought to himself. _I'm going to beat this thing._

As he thought more about it, he realized that, if he brought a branch down, he could potentially use it for something. Exactly what that something was, he did not know, but there was a chance that it just might work.

 _Good,_ he thought. _We need anything we can get against this guy._

"LUCAS!" Solanna yelled from the ground.

"COMING!" he yelled back, grabbing a large branch roughly fifteen feet long in one hand. He wasn't the strongest guy around, and the branch was rather unwieldy to carry all the way down the tree. Even so, he was able to make it down without breaking any branches along the way.

Suddenly, Lucas had an idea. Looking at the arms of the enormous automaton, he saw that they had little wheel-like apparatuses as part of them. If he could spin those wheels, that could prove to be very helpful, but he'd need something long…

 _That's where this branch comes in!,_ he realized. That must have been in the back of his mind from the very beginning, although he hadn't really thought about it much, or at all.

As soon as he had reached the ground, he started sprinting over to the machine.

"Lucas! What are you doing?" Tanner yelled, but the younger boy could barely hear him. If he could get one of those wheels to spin...could he knock one of those arms off?"

He looked back at Tanner, as if to say, _I'm not completely crazy, you know!,_ and then lunged out with his branch.

For a few terrible moments, he feared that the move had been completely and totally stupid. That he'd been a fool to even attempt it.

But the wheel started spinning, and the arm started sliding a little. It didn't part from the body of Koloktos, but it came a little closer to doing so.

"Nice!" Andromeda yelled, dodging two more swords that were thrown at him. "Keep it up, Lucas! We can beat this guy!"

Looking over at the crowd of Pokemon for just a moment, Lucas saw that they had hidden behind a bush, not taking part in the battle at all. However, Orkun appeared to have a very kind expression on his face.

The expression was kind, but it was also one of intense concentration. And, the more Lucas thought, the more he had a vague feeling of pride.

 _Is Orkun trying to instill some of that in me?,_ Lucas thought. _If so, it might be working...I certainly feel pretty confident! I could take on the world!_

 _But first things first...we've got to beat this thing._

As Solanna watched nearby, Lucas thrust his branch at the wheel again. This time, the arm completely parted from the body, and came to lie down on the ground, twitching helplessly.

"One down!" Lucas exclaimed. He saw the face of the automaton and noted that the mechanical beast had gotten even angrier. With a gulp, Lucas turned his attention to the other arms.

With Solanna and Tanner dodging swords, Andromeda running around to make the thing dizzy, and Lucas making lunges with his branch, they were eventually able to overcome the automaton.

* * *

 **I hope you guys appreciated the TLOZ:SS reference!**

 **In other news, I'm back from visiting my grandparents now. I'm looking forward to life getting back to being more normal; hopefully I don't contract the stomach bug that's been going around. But we'll see.**

 **You guys know the drill.**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 18).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	35. They're After Us

**It's the 50th anniversary, today, of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. He definitely made the world a better place, and it's so sad that his policies are getting reversed today. But that's enough about politics; this is supposed to be a nonpartisan story.**

 **In other news, I am going to be getting my wisdom teeth removed on April 13. If there is a lull in my chapter postings around then, that is why. I'll probably be too drugged up/in too much pain to write. But we'll see.**

 **For now, enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JULY 15, 201X - 10:10 AM**

 **ETERNA FOREST, SINNOH**

 **TEMPERATURE INSIDE FOREST: 65 DEGREES**

After defeating Koloktos, the four trainers sat around the area where the automaton had been. The bushes that had sprung up to block them had disappeared for some reason. Was it technology or magic that had done so?

Lucas had heard of the law that any sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic, and, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. Perhaps it didn't matter which of the two it was.

Whatever. Either way, they had survived.

" _Sorry"_ said a mechanical-sounding voice.

Lucas looked up. So did the other three, as well as all of their Pokemon.

" _Did I just...attack your party?"_ It was then that Lucas knew that it must have been Koloktos speaking.

"You did" Orkun replied, sounding somewhat angry. "You don't remember it?"  
" _I...do not. I suppose that I must have been short-circuited. That happens...sometimes"._

Koloktos looked very remorseful indeed at the fact that his actions had caused some very real damage. Even if nobody in their party had been physically injured by the automaton, Lucas knew that he would dream, for a while, of golden automatons throwing swords at him and his party.

"Do you know what caused you to go this way?" Tanner asked. "Because that's something we'd really like to find out.

Koloktos made a motion that could have been considered shrugging. " _I honestly have no idea. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but, then again...oh, wait, I_ do _remember now!"_

"Really?" Lucas asked. He was standing on his tiptoes now, very anxious to find out the answer.

" _Yes"_ the robot replied. " _It was two young men. One was tall, with dark brown hair. The other was even taller, with light brown hair. They said that they were from Team Rocket"._

 _Team Rocket._

The name sent a chill down Lucas's spine, but then, it send chills down _everyone's_ spine. Why would Lucas Snow be any different?

"Why did they do this?" Andromeda said. "This is important now, Koloktos. We really need to know this".

" _They said that they were looking for four children...deadline July twenty-fifth."_

"And what were the names of those children?" Solanna asked. "Do you know for sure?"

" _I believe the names were Snow, Watson, Luzon, and Warren. I'm best with last names"._

Lucas's heart stopped. "Are you kidding me?"

" _I am not kidding"_ Koloktos replied. " _Why is that so unbelievable to you?"_

"Because - those are _our_ names" Andromeda said. "Guys...do you know what this means?"

"Nothing good" Lucas replied, but that apparently wasn't the answer that the older boy was looking for.

"It means that Team Rocket knows who we are. They're specifically after us; I don't know why. Did they just rig this thing up to attack us?"

" _If by 'that thing', you mean me, then yes, that is likely",_ Koloktos said in his mechanical tone. " _I suggest that you children leave. I would like to apologize once more for attacking you"._

"Don't worry about it" Solanna replied kindly. "After all, we did the same to you".

The four trainers walked out of the clearing and back into the thick of Eterna Forest.

Luckily, the rest of the woods didn't last too long. There might have been a few more Brights, but they were fortunate enough not to come across any. Lucas wanted to thank Arceus for that; it wasn't every day that you were this lucky.

As soon as he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, he said a quick, silent prayer of thanks to the creator. Arceus could be very merciful sometimes.

"That's the end of the woods!" Solanna all but cheered. "I can't believe that it's over!"

"Yeah. How long has it been, three days?" Tanner replied, furrowing his forehead. "I'm definitely glad to be out of here".

As soon as they saw the opening, they all made a beeline for it. It was little more than a minute until they had exited Eterna Forest for what all of them hoped was the last time.

Lucas was very relieved to feel the sunshine on his face again. He guessed, based on the position of the sun, that it was late morning. He'd forgotten to charge his iPhone and laptop, and there were no outlets in the woods, so he hadn't been able to check the time or date. It had been impossible to know how long it had been.

Looking behind himself, Lucas could see the thick canopy reaching upwards several hundred feet. The trees were definitely a lot more majestic on this side of the forest than on the other side, he decided. Definitely quite a bit more impressive, although, he supposed, that was a matter of opinion.

"We made it out" he breathed, barely able to believe it himself. As soon as he did so, however, he became aware of how tired and hungry he was. The buildings ahead of him looked so inviting that it was hard to believe.

This wasn't just any city, he realized. It was _Eterna City._ The same place they'd been looking forward to for days. No, weeks.

This was going to be the last city before Snowpoint City on their journey, the last city before they took that long trek north. At least that one wouldn't be through such dense forest.

"Man, I'm hungry" Bayon said out of nowhere. The Machop was looking at the city in front of him, licking his lips.

"We'll get something to eat in the city, I promise" Andromeda replied. Lucas's stomach growled, as he realized that he hadn't had very much to eat or drink in the last few days in the forest. He hadn't noticed it before, but his legs were starting to give little by little. If he didn't sit down soon, he was likely to fall over.

"Let's head for Eterna City now" Tanner said. "It's really quite nice; right on the edge of the forest. I think you guys are going to like it very much".

* * *

Lucas had clearly underestimated just how tired he was.

As soon as they reached the edge of the city limits, he had to sit down; he was that tired. Catching his breath, his stomach growled yet again.

"Sounds like someone's hungry" Andromeda replied, only slightly mockingly. Even so, it was clear to see that he was hungry as well. They all were, after having spent so long in the woods.

Once Lucas got back on his feet, he felt a little better, but he knew that actually eating some real food, not just granola bars and juice boxes, would be the best thing for him. Otherwise, he'd just continue to feel hungry and dizzy.

They found a small restaurant about a quarter of a mile into town, which was actually a pizzeria. There were a lot of foods Lucas loved, and pizza was one of them.

The interior of the pizzeria was made out of brick, clearly intending to appear like it came from the past. In Lucas's opinion, it was quite beautiful, but not just because of the fact that it was brick.

Orkun looked very pleased indeed. Patting Lucas on the back, he said, "Man, you must be really hungry".

His master nodded. After the waiter came around and took all of their orders, Lucas started reclining in his seat. It was such a pleasure to be safe again.

Well, not exactly _safe._ It was incredibly naive to assume that you were safe at any given moment. However, he knew that he no longer ran the risk, every minute, of being captured and consumed by a Bright, or of drinking toxic water. Once his root beer arrived, he slurped it happily, extremely grateful that he knew it was not poisonous.

"Man, that was brutal, those woods back there" Solanna said. "But we got through it all right. We can take anything the road throws at us, can't we?"

It sure looked that way, but Lucas was hesitant to get too cocky. In general, he was a pessimist by nature, and times like this weren't any different. He might have survived Eterna Forest along with his friends, but that didn't mean that they were out of the woods for good. Nobody knew what would come for them in the future.

Little did any of them know, sitting on the other end of the restaurant, two young men were slurping their diet sodas. By chance, they had happened to be eating lunch in the same place at the same time.

Muller Bigshot snapped his fingers to get Sam's attention. "Yes?" Sam asked quietly, so as not to draw attention to himself.

Muller pointed over to the table that the children and their Pokemon were sitting at. It was a large, round table situated in the middle of the pizzeria. All fourteen of them sat around the table, laughing and talking happily with one another.

"That's them, isn't it?"

Sam thought back to those photos they had gotten. The restaurant wasn't that crowded, as it was still early, but there would still be a good five or ten witnesses to their kidnapping. Ideally, they wanted to have _zero_ witnesses.

"I'm not so sure" he replied. In actuality, there was very little doubt in his mind; their faces matched the pictures they'd been given. The only reason he was saying it was to dissuade Muller away from the idea that it would be a good plan to capture the kids now.

Muller nodded, but he looked a little suspicious of Sam. Thankfully for the latter, their order arrived almost immediately after that, a large pie with sausage and spinach.

Meanwhile, at the large round table, the children and Pokemon paid the Team Rocket grunts no mind. They continued talking happily about facing Gardenia, and the badges they would all get afterwards. It was going to be absolutely amazing, having the Forest Badge as well.

Now that they were out of danger (or so they thought), Lucas was very happy to talk about how much fun he'd had the other day when they had gone ziplining, and so were the others.

At the end of the tour, each of them had been able to purchase a professional photograph, which was when the guide had said, "Shaka brah!" They'd done so for a small fee, but it could be a little hard to decipher the emotions on each of their faces.

"Lucas, you look like you were really enjoying it" Orkun said, looking intently at the photograph of the boy dangling seventy feet above the creek.

"Yeah, I was" the boy replied, throwing his arms around his Lucario. "That was a lot of fun, wasn't it?"

All of them nodded. At least, the ones who had been lucky enough to go on the tour, that was. Aparri, Bayon, Takali, and Orkun all looked very excited, as though they were reliving it. Which, of course, they probably were.

Just then, the waiter came back with their orders, a stack of pizzas seven high.

"Okay...I'll just put these on two other tables for you guys. I don't know if I've ever seen a party this big that wasn't a birthday party or something like that".

"Okay" Andromeda replied. The oldest boy in the group was the one who would be footing the bill; lately, he had been the one in charge of most of the financial decisions that the group made. Since he was the oldest, they didn't have much of a problem deferring to him.

"Let's see...one Alolan, two pepperoni, one carnivore pizza, one herbivore pizza, and two sausage-and-mushroom...that's quite a lot. It'll come out to $51.60. The law in Eterna City is that one must pay before the first bite is taken".

"Okay" Andromeda replied, handing the waiter some cash. "Thanks for the pizza".

"You are very much welcome" the waiter replied. "Just tell me if you need anything".

In the far corner of the restaurant, the Team Rocket grunts were finishing off the last of their pizza. "I'm sure that's them" Muller replied. "Sam, have you been lying to me?"

Sam saw no reason not to tell the truth. "I did lie, because I knew that there were too many witnesses. We can't take them now, or else we'll be seen. This place isn't getting any less crowded!"

What Sam said was brutally honest; he did have a point. They'd started their meal fairly early by their standards, as had the group consisting of Lucas, Andromeda, Solanna, Tanner, and their various Pokemon. As a result, the restaurant didn't have too many people there, but that was bound to change later. Besides, loitering around longer than they had to would just raise more eyebrows.

"I'll forgive you" Muller replied in a whisper. "I understand, but you do realize that we're passing up a good chance to get them. The deadline's in ten days".

"I am well aware of that" Sam said, quietly but angrily. "But it's dangerous to take them here, when there are so many witnesses".

Meanwhile, the children were sitting at their table. Getting some food, real food, in his stomach was something that Lucas appreciated to no end. It was so good to no longer be hungry, no longer be thirsty.

As he bit into a slice of his Alolan pizza, he thought of the future. Later, they would check into a hotel and do battle against Gardenia. Then, they'd head up to Snowpoint City.

It was more than just geography that made him want to head up there. Somehow, he got the feeling that a great destiny awaited him, something that he just couldn't pass up. He couldn't risk missing it, because it was extremely important that he fulfill said destiny.

 _Quit thinking that way, Lucas,_ he told himself. _It's probably the pizza talking. You're just so happy to have a full belly that you're going to believe anything. Don't trick yourself; Arceus doesn't care about you._

 _But what if he does?_

He could continue going through all these mental gymnastics, constantly wondering if it was destiny, desire, or geography that led him to want to head up north. Or he could just enjoy the day with his friends.

Lucas decided that the latter was probably a better idea.

Once they had finished the meal, they left the pizzeria and were able to get a better view of the city. And Lucas was amazed, once more, by what he saw.

Eterna City was nothing like Jubilife City had been. It was closer to Floaroma City in that regard, except that that city had appeared more in tune with nature than this one.

He remembered reading somewhere that Eterna City had been built in order to be in line with the past. As a result, everything had a general sense of age to it.

That wasn't to say that there was a sense of _decay._ The two things were very different, and this was very clearly the former. The city looked as though it had been kept very well by its caretakers.

"We should probably check into a hotel first" Lucas said. "I need to call my mother, come to think of it. It's been so long since I last talked to her; she'll be worried sick".

"Only a couple days" Solanna replied. Then she scratched her chin. "Wait...what day is it today? No idea how long we were in the woods for".

Tanner began running at full tilt towards a nearby newspaper stand. There, he started sifting through the papers, grabbed one, and ran back towards the others.

"It's July fifteenth" he said, showing them the front cover. "Four days since we entered Eterna Forest. Your mother will be terrified, Lucas. So will my parents".

There was a hint of sarcasm in that last sentence that Tanner had said, which Lucas was quick to point out. "You said that rather sarcastically" he replied.

"That's because I _was_ being sarcastic, Lucas" the older boy replied. "My parents wouldn't give two shits if I died on this trip; they don't care about me".

"They...don't care about you?" Lucas replied quizzically. "I met them, and they seemed quite caring to me".

"Oh, trust me, that's the front they put up whenever they meet new guests. They want to appear caring, like they care about me. Really, they couldn't care less. They don't love me; they love the _idea_ of me".

"And what's their idea of you?" Solanna asked. Clearly, she was wanting to figure out what was getting Tanner in such a bad mood.

"They think that I ought to be some fancy socialite who wants to talk to everybody, cook fancy dinners, play the piano like some Kalosian composer...screw that! My destiny's being a trainer. It's always been".

After Tanner's mini-rant, the four children (they had put their Pokemon back in their Pokeballs) stood at the street corner for a few seconds. Then, Andromeda said, "Don't worry about that, Tanner. With us, you can be whoever you want to be".

"I kind of got that sense over the last three weeks", Tanner replied, "but thanks. That really helps".

"No problem".

They found a hotel, and Lucas excused himself to call his mother. He knew that she'd want to know that they'd gotten through the forest safely, other than the encounter with Koloktos.

As before, he dialled the number, then waited for a few seconds. It didn't take long for her to pick up.

"How are you, Lucas?" she asked him. "Why haven't you called for the last four days? Don't you have your iPhone?"

The problem was that the routes that trainers travelled on usually had intermittent coverage at best. He considered pointing that out, but he decided to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, right up front.

"We were in the middle of Eternal Forest, Mom" he replied. "It's not like I could have just called you from there".

"Oh, of course not" Aubry replied, sounding very sorry indeed. "Sorry that I assumed that, Lucas. It's just that it's not like you to go four days without calling me".

"Well, that was why" her son said. "Because we were in the woods".

"How was Eterna Forest? I've heard that that's very dangerous; I hope you took adequate precautions before doing so".

Lucas decided not to beat around the bush. "At one point, we walked towards a poisonous stream, and they had to restrain me from drinking from it. I was just so thirsty".

"Ah" Aubry said. "Well, I'm very glad you're fine. It was quite scary last month, letting you embark on that journey. Things could have gone so very wrong there that I just don't want to think about it. How is Andromeda?"

Knowing that the oldest boy in the group was within earshot, Lucas decided not to mention that he had become the de facto leader; he figured that Andromeda would have taken some offense to that.

"He's doing quite well; in fact, he was the one who saved me from drinking from the river. I literally owe him my life".

"Well, I'm glad you appreciate what he did for you" Aubry replied. "In any case, did anything else happen that you think I should know about?"

"Yes" Lucas replied. "This morning, an automaton attacked us. We were able to beat him down pretty well, but…".

"But what?" Aubry asked him. "This is important".

"Afterwards, we had a talk with him. He said that two Team Rocket grunts set them up. And that they had instructions to capture four children who look like us and have our names".

His mother gasped. "Lucas, this is _bad._ You know what that means, right?"

Her son did know what that meant. And he wished he didn't.

"It means they're after us".

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 18).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	36. The Eternal Struggle

**Welcome to the 36th chapter of Lucas's Adventure: Book A! There are now as many chapters of this story as there are seasons of _Survivor_ as of April 7, 2018. That's pretty crazy. **

**This chapter took a while, but only because I was writing my new story in conjunction with it. There are two chapters out right now of Poke Wars: Episode I, so I recommend checking that one out. It's not just a parody of Star Wars.**

 **In other news, my third quarter of school has ended. Just a couple more months and I'll be free. Until my senior year begins, that is. And only six days until I get my wisdom teeth out. That'll be fun.**

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JULY 15, 201X - 12:34 PM**

 **ETERNA CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 76 DEGREES**

 _It means they're after us._

Even though Lucas had been the one to say those words, they chilled him directly to the bone. He didn't like to think about that. He didn't like to think about anything related to Team Rocket.

Unfortunately, when the time came to talk to his mother, the floodgates were open. After all, she was his mother - he could trust her with just about anything, he figured.

"Yes, it does" Aubry replied. "Are you willing to make one promise to me?"

"What is that?" Lucas asked his mother, although he had a pretty good idea of what it might be. There were only a couple of possible options.

"You won't take any unnecessary risks, will you? I know that you're a pretty cautious person in general, but don't be anywhere without a lot of witnesses if you can help it. I don't think they're likely to try to kidnap you if you're around a lot of other people".

He had to agree with his mother there. Witnesses would serve as a deterrence against Team Rocket grunts looking to capture his team, since no sane criminals wanted to be caught. The smart ones, like the Sinnoh branch of Team Rocket, would absolutely not go into the middle of the city to do that. As long as they stayed in Eterna City, they should be relatively safe.

"I won't. Don't worry" Lucas replied. "We're not going to take any unnecessary risks, and we're going to stay safe. I really don't think that we're going to have any problems with Team Rocket".

"I wish", Aubry said, "that I could be as confident as you about that. I am tempted to tell you to come home right now. At least, that way, you'd be with me".

"And you think I'd be safe then?" her son asked her.

"Honestly, Lucas, I'm not quite sure. Either you'd be safer, or you'd only serve to put the rest of us in danger. It all depends on how desperate Team Rocket is to capture you".

"What happens if they capture me?" Lucas asked his mother.

"I honestly don't want to know" Aubry replied. "And really, you don't either".

"But I do" her son replied, trying to sound clever, implying that his mother didn't know what he was really thinking. Which, to be fair, she couldn't possibly know for sure.

"Fine. I don't know what would happen to you, but I would hazard a guess that it wouldn't be anything positive. At all costs, you _must_ stay out of their clutches".

 _I must stay out of their clutches,_ Lucas echoed in his own mind. _If I get caught, it'll be bad. A lot of very bad things will happen to me then._

"Anyway, you're in Eterna City now? What's that like?"

"Haven't you been there before?" her son asked her. "I thought it was a very popular tourist destination".

"Indeed it is" Aubry replied. "In fact, your father and I went there on our honeymoon. Man, that was almost twenty years ago now...our twentieth anniversary is coming up soon".

Tears started forming in Lucas's eyes at the mention of his parents' wedding anniversary. He would have loved to be there. He really would have. And yet, it wasn't going to happen.

"I don't think I can come" he replied. "I'm sorry to tell you that. We're going up to Snowpoint City after we're done with Eterna City. Just the gym battle here, and then we can go north".

"It's cold up there" Aubry said, even though both of them knew that it was unnecessary. Judging by its name and northerly location, one could have figured that out very easily. "You're going to want to bring some warm clothing".

"Don't worry; we will" Lucas said. "Anyway, I should probably say good-bye now; we were just about to head to the gym".

"Okay. Have fun and stay safe!"

After hanging up, Lucas walked over to his Pokemon. He saw that Kasama had disappeared.

"Wait...where did Kasama go?" he asked.

"I suppose...that he got lost somewhere in the woods" Solanna said tearfully. "I never thought that I'd lose him so soon...but it was kind of hard to keep track of him at all times".

Lucas realized that, in the pizzeria earlier, there had only been fourteen of them rather than fifteen, whereas there would have been fifteen had the Pikachu been there. Somewhere over the last few days, they'd lost track of the Pikachu, and he'd disappeared somewhere.

In his defense, however, it _was_ pretty hard to keep track of everybody when you were in a group this large. This was of course not a good excuse, it was just the reason why Lucas had been so spacey about it.

"I'm really sorry to hear that" Tanner replied. "I hadn't noticed that either".

"It'll be fine" Solanna replied, clearly trying not to cry. "I just...thought that I'd be such good friends with him, for a really long time. Now it seems that that won't happen...and _it's my fault"._

"We'll find another Pikachu" Andromeda said, patting the girl on the back. "We're going to name him Kasama as well".

To Lucas, that sounded like it would probably have been a small consolation to Solanna. However, the girl seemed okay with that. She instantly looked a little more cheerful, but it was clear to see that she still wasn't too thrilled about having lost one of her Pokemon.

"Do you think", asked Solanna, "that there's anything I could have done any differently, besides keeping Kasama in his Pokeball the whole time?"

"I suppose that there would be. Except…".

"Pika!"

All of them turned to see a yellow blur running directly towards them.

"Kasama!" Solanna exclaimed. "You're all right!"

"Indeed" the Pikachu replied happily. "It's so great to be back with you guys!"

Lucas could sense just how happy Solanna had to have been to be reunited with her Pikachu. It was probably the best feeling ever.

"I don't want to be in that forest ever again" Kasama said. "It was very scary. And dark. And dangerous".

"You won't have to be" Andromeda replied, stroking the thin yellow fur that covered the Pikachu. "From here on out, we're staying away from Eterna Forest. That place isn't fun".

"Indeed" Orkun replied. Lucas's Lucario had been standing away from the others for a bit, but he'd come back to join the group once more. "I still remember Lucas almost drinking from the toxic river…".

The boy referred to blushed a little. It was kind of embarrassing to be reminded of the time that you had almost died due to your own stupidity. Thankfully, Orkun didn't continue on that path.

"Are you guys ready for our next battle?" Vinaka asked. The Vulpix hadn't spoken in a while, but it was clear to see that she was excited as well at the prospect of another gym battle, something she hadn't had in so long.

"I sure am" Tanner replied. "This is actually my first battle with you guys. How many badges did you get?"

"Just two" Andromeda said. "The Relic Badge and the Coal Badge. Solanna only has the Coal Badge, but she can go back and challenge the gym leaders later. Right?"

"Yeah" Solanna said. "I certainly plan on doing that at some point".

They all stood on the street corner for a while, before a taxi came. The cabbie asked them if they had anywhere in the city they wanted to go, but Lucas replied that they were going to walk to the gym. After all, it wasn't that far, and they all figured that a little exercise would do them some good.

* * *

 **THURSDAY, JULY 15, 201X - 2:48 PM**

 **CORONET RANGE, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 71 DEGREES**

"We had a chance back there, you know" Muller said, as they walked through a large clump of pine trees.

"I've said it before", Sam replied, "and I'll say it again. We did not have a chance when we were inside the pizzeria. There would have been far too many witnesses, too many people who could have noticed what we were doing. Really, it's better this way".

"But we don't have the children".

 _How thick can some people get?,_ Sam asked himself.

Right now, the pair were in the middle of the Coronet Range, the large line of mountains that ran down the middle of the Sinnoh region. It had only been a short train ride from here to the edge of the mountain range, in Coronet Town. They'd been able to purchase tickets without revealing their identities, which was always a plus.

They'd disembarked from the train about forty-five minutes ago, and since then they had kept up a fairly consistent pace. Route 216 was a fairly hilly one, and it could get quite tiring, especially for someone like Muller, who wasn't in quite as good shape as Sam was.

"How long do you think it'll take to hike up there?" Muller asked, panting.

"Probably about a week" Sam replied. "I assume that, by _there,_ you do mean Snowpoint City, right?"

"Yeah, I mean Snowpoint City" Muller said in response. "We'll make sure to buy really warm clothes for when we're there...agreed?"

"Yep".

As they walked, Sam started thinking of their future plans. They had ten days left to capture the children. As they had seen in the pizzeria, they had survived the attack from Koloktos, and apparently without injuries, but that didn't mean that they hadn't been shaken mentally from the encounter.

"When should we play the video?" Muller asked. Sam noticed how the other man was deferring to him for all of these questions, something that he didn't mind. Muller might have been good with mechanical things, but he lacked common sense. That was his fatal flaw.

"Whenever we're alone. Whenever we _know_ we're alone" Sam replied firmly. "And if we have coverage. Route 216 is spotty at best".

"I hate not having coverage. The Wi-Fi at the base is absolutely top-notch".

 _If you hate not having coverage, you should have considered not going on this mission. You should have realized that, at some points, you would have to go without using the Internet for an extended period of time. There are so many things you should have considered, Muller, but you DIDN'T. Because you're an IDIOT._

Of course, Sam did not say any of those things out loud. He wanted Muller to still think that they were a cohesive duo. Indeed, he wanted to think the same thing himself. He wanted to believe that there was a neon light at the end of the tunnel, that they were going to find those kids and get those raises. That the Sinnoh branch of Team Rocket could be safe from detection.

However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Muller had dangerous ideas. Dangerous for him, not for the children they were tracking down.

Eventually, they reached a small lake. It was about a hundred yards away from the edge of the route, and its crystal blue water looked absolutely gorgeous. Sam knew better than to drink lake water, but it looked almost irresistible with that color.

"Okay" Sam said. "Do you have that video? I think now's as good a time as any to see it".

"Yep" Muller replied. "Just wait a moment".

Eventually, the other man pulled out his iPhone. "Let's see how this went for them. Can't imagine that they got away that easily".

"Probably they think they can handle anything now" Sam replied, sneering into the distance. "If they think that, they're in for a rude awakening".

* * *

"All right. Here's the gym".

The gym of Eterna City was located in a place that was thankfully not very difficult to find. It was a relatively central location when compared to the rest of the town.

"Is this where we're going to fight?" Kasama asked. "If so, be prepared for some _thunder!_ Lightning, _then_ the thunder!"

 _Well, somebody's excited,_ Lucas thought. He was very happy for Solanna's sake, that she had gotten her Pikachu back after he'd been lost in the woods. He couldn't imagine what he would do if he lost Orkun.

The four of them signed up for the times that they would battle Gardenia. Because she could only do single or double battles, this meant that two of them would have to return at a later date in order to challenge her.

"We should let Lucas do it today" Tanner said. "He is the leader, after all".

It warmed Lucas's heart to hear Tanner refer to him as the leader, even if he didn't entirely feel that way. "Thanks, Tanner" he replied, very pleased indeed with that.

"I'll pick...Solanna to go with me" Lucas said. "I think that Kasama could really use a battle. Yeah, that's the way it's going to go. And I think that we'll beat her; we're in quite good shape at this point".

He wondered if he were being a little cocky in saying that. After all, they had had to deal with Koloktos that morning, and that hadn't made them any less tired.

However, after they had all survived Eterna Forest together, that gave Lucas more confidence in his team. He felt that they could get through just about anything now, and he had the cockiness to match.

Lucas wished that he could have managed not to be so overconfident, but it was hard not to feel that way. He'd never lost a gym battle before; granted, he'd only ever had two over the course of his journey. Perhaps his confidence wasn't warranted.

Solanna and Lucas stepped into the gym once it was their turn. Instantly, they were struck by how green everything was.

Both of the gyms they'd been to previously had battling courts that were much like tennis courts in terms of texture and the materials that they were made out of. This one, however, was different. Instead of being made of that type of material, this one was made of grass.

"That's not fair!" Lucas exclaimed, meaning to sound slightly sarcastic.

There was a laugh, a hearty but pleasant laugh, that came from the far corner of the gym. Lucas had to turn his head in order to find the source.

"Oh, but life isn't fair, little ones" the voice said, with a hint of laughter implied. "If you want the Forest Badge, you're going to have to defeat me. Easier said than done, I know".

From the corner of the room came a young-looking woman. She was short, with ginger-colored hair, brown eyes, and a short green jacket. She also wore green boots and a skirt the same color as her hair.

This was Gardenia, the Eterna City gym leader.

"Please don't call me a _little one"_ Lucas replied. The boy was big for his age, and he didn't particularly like that title.

"Sorry" Gardenia replied. "I just like using that term. In any case, let us begin the battle, shall we?"

Each trainer held a Pokeball in their hands. Thanks to their usual practice of placing stickers on the Pokeballs so as to identify which Pokemon was in which ball, Lucas knew that his held Vinaka and hers held Kasama. Remembering what he had read during those long hours in Jubilife City, he knew that Gardenia's Pokemon were Cherubi, Turtwig, and Roserade.

"Let's do this!" Lucas exclaimed.

Gardenia brought out her Cherubi and Turtwig first. Vinaka was going to fight Cherubi, and Kasama was going to fight Turtwig. It was going to go like this until one of them defeated the other.

"Okay, Vinaka, use Roar!" he yelled, trying to get the Vulpix to use an attack that would help against Cherubi.

Cherubi took the attack head-on, but replied with a Grass Knot. This put Vinaka on the defensive, and the Vulpix was only barely able to dodge it.

He was about to look over to see how Kasama was doing against Turtwig, but then he reminded himself of something Solanna had told him all those weeks before, about how he should pay attention to his own Pokemon, not hers. It was advice he was trying to take to heart now. He wanted to be a better trainer.

"Go, Vinaka!" he exclaimed. "Use Ember!"

Vinaka, using that move, was able to create a large wave of fire, but Cherubi was ready for it and got out of the way just in time. Turtwig wasn't quite as swift; when Kasama used an electric attack (Thunder Shock), he took the brunt of the attack.

Lucas had to slap himself in the face to make sure he remembered to focus on his own Pokemon. Old habits die hard; indeed, this one was dying _very_ hard.

Gardenia was looking increasingly desperate. She seemed to be very worried indeed that she could end up losing this battle to a couple of kids from far to the south of here. _Good,_ Lucas thought. He revelled in her fear. He wanted to make her loss be as embarrassing as possible.

Eventually, Vinaka was able to land a Tail Whip that resulted in Cherubi flying backwards. Hitting the wall, the Pokemon resembling a cherry slid to the ground. Lucas waited for the ten-count that would signify that it was time to bring out a new Pokemon; it would be coming any second now.

And it did, but only five of those seconds were actually counted, for the Cherubi was able to get up. Lucas slapped his face once more in frustration. If he didn't get his act together soon, he wasn't going to win this battle.

And then things went from bad to worse.

Hit with a Leech Seed, Vinaka collapsed to the ground. The ten-count began, but she was clearly unconscious, not going to get up within the next ten seconds.

It didn't take long until the referee announced, "VINAKA IS UNABLE TO BATTLE!"

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 16). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack (Level 11). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite (Level 14).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 15). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark (Level 17).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 18). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight (Level 12). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 18).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 20). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 25).**


	37. Sparks

**This is a short chapter, but I figured that it was a good place to end it. It's more of a transition chapter than anything else.**

 **I'm pleased to announce that, at this point, Lucas's Adventure: Book A is the longest work I have ever written, at slightly less than an eighth of a million words. At this point, I think it'll be roughly a sixth of a million by the end, but we will see. I do think we are in the home stretch for the first book of the series.**

 **Also, I have a story up called Poke Wars: Episode I: The Jungle Queen. I hope that you enjoy that one as well as this one. But here it is: Chapter 37!**

* * *

 _It's not over yet,_ Lucas told himself. _Not over yet, not over yet, not over yet…_

Even though the truth he was telling himself was so blatantly obvious, he still had to drill it into his own mind; it was hard for him to take it to heart. Even as he put Vinaka back in her Pokeball, he couldn't help but think that, somehow, something more was going to go wrong in this battle.

The earlier confidence he'd had was long gone. It was now replaced with worry, worry that he wouldn't be able to pull this one out.

 _Stop worrying,_ he told himself. _That won't affect how well you do, at least not in a positive manner._

His mind did have a point. He wouldn't be helping his team one bit if he worried too much about things. He had to have faith in Takali and Orkun.

"Okay, Takali!" he exclaimed. "Do your stuff!"

Cherubi was still on the offensive, and the Cherry Pokemon had the added advantage of having been able to prepare, whereas Takali had just come out of his Pokeball without having been in a battle. The Totodile was caught up in the Grass Knot that Cherubi had produced, and took some damage from that; it was impossible to tell how much.

Off to his right, Lucas heard the sound of a cheer. Kasama, even though he'd appeared to have very little training, had managed to successfully vanquish Turtwig.

 _Man, Solanna must be a really good trainer,_ Lucas thought. _If he can be that amazing at this despite having so little practice._

Of course, it was entirely possible that Kasama had had a different trainer before this, and had run away, but Lucas didn't want to think about that just yet. Reminding himself what Andromeda had told him, to always pay attention to your own Pokemon during battles, he did that.

Now, Solanna would be battling against Roserade. She did swap out Kasama for Bayon, even though the former was in fairly good shape. The way things were looking, it was a lot better than it had just a few minutes ago.

If they could both defeat the Pokemon from Gardenia's side, they would win. Then they would each receive the Forest Badge.

"Takali! Use Bite!"

The Totodile bit into Cherubi as though she were an actual cherry, being careful of what would have been the pit in a normal cherry. It appeared to cause a good deal of damage; however, Cherubi wasn't done yet.

The Cherry Pokemon managed to land a Leech Seed on Takali, resulting in a very visible flower on the top of the Totodile's head. However, this wasn't a benign, merely beautiful flower; no, this was a parasitic one. It would drain Takali's HP for several minutes thereafter.

This added another level of urgency to the battle. If they did not defeat Cherubi soon and end this battle, Takali would faint, and Lucas would lose. If that happened, he would feel as though he had let Solanna down, as well as the other two boys.

Soon enough, Takali was able to land a decent hit with Scratch on Cherubi. It didn't appear to do that much damage, but it was enough to knock the latter out, so it did do something.

"CHERUBI IS UNABLE TO BATTLE!"

The sound of that shout from the referee was enough to make Lucas's heart leap. However, this wasn't the end of the battle; he still had to wait for Solanna to defeat Roserade before they could collect their badges and call it a day.

Bayon was landing some good hits with Low Kick and Karate Chop. This gave Lucas some optimism in the face of the fact that Roserade was also quite strong. It appeared that, no matter what, this was going to come down to the wire between the two Pokemon.

 _That favors Solanna, though,_ Lucas thought. _If, for instance, they both go down at the same time, that means that Solanna wins, since she still has Aparri as her ace in the hole._

 _Wouldn't it be funny if that actually happened?_

He spotted Tanner and Andromeda in the stands, cheering them on. Lucas didn't really care much about what they were thinking, though; he was focused on watching the battle at hand. And man, was it intense.

With every hit that Roserade landed on Bayon, the Machop replied with one of equal or greater force. This also worked the opposite way. The attacks were getting _more_ powerful, not less powerful like one might expect of two rapidly tiring Pokemon.

 _Quite impressive, really, that they're able to keep it up for this long._

He was sure that this wouldn't end up being the longest Pokemon battle in recorded history; the record for that one was thirty-seven days, and this battle, which appeared to have gone on for about an hour or two, was nowhere close to that.

Eventually, Bayon was able to land one hit that sent Roserade stumbling backwards. The Bouquet Pokemon staggered around, trying to keep its footing, much like a toddler learning to walk. However, it wasn't enough.

Roserade collapsed to the ground.

"ROSERADE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! BAYON THE MACHOP IS THE WINNER, WHICH MEANS THAT THE VICTORY GOES TO LUCAS SNOW OF GARDENIA AND SOLANNA LUZON OF SAFFRON CITY!"

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. After such a long and tiring battle, he'd always had the small bit of doubt in the back of his mind that they wouldn't be able to win it.

 _Thank Arceus that that's not the case,_ he thought. _Man, that would have been horrible if we had lost._

Indeed, it would have been. They would have had to train up for a much longer time, and training, while Lucas acknowledged that it was very much necessary, could be quite boring at times. Beyond that, he was just glad to have won. He hated losing.

"Congratulations" Gardenia said, in a very pleasant voice. Walking over to the two children, she said, "I suppose I should reward you two with these. After all, you did win".

In her hand were two Forest Badges, shaped slightly like triangles, but not really, mostly green. Lucas took one from Gardenia placed it in his backpack, putting it next to his Coal and Relic Badges. Reminders of what he had accomplished.

"Nice!" Tanner shouted from the stands. "You did it!"

"Yep" Lucas said quietly, enough so that Tanner wouldn't hear him. "I did".

* * *

 **SATURDAY, JULY 17, 201X - 8:28 AM**

 **ETERNA CITY, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 73 DEGREES**

If there was one thing Lucas was grateful for, it was the weather.

For the last two days, it had been warm and pleasant, not like the oppressive heat he had encountered at the beginning of the journey. It was nice enough that he would often just sit in a table of an outdoor cafe, sunbathing. Nobody would come and ask him to leave; they didn't see it as a problem, evidently.

Lucas felt guilty as he admitted it to himself, but, were he the owner of one of those cafes, he wouldn't have let people just sit there without ordering anything. He would have considered that to be taking advantage of the restaurant. However, a guy had to live his life, and Lucas felt very much alive indeed.

He'd felt more alive the last month than he had done for his whole life. It had been immensely satisfying, and gratifying, to travel the Sinnoh region with Andromeda, Solanna, and Tanner.

Now, he was sitting in a table at a cafe near the hotel. A strawberry crepe was set out before him. And he was sitting across from a girl.

This girl had been slightly chubby before, but several weeks of travelling had caused her to drop a couple of pounds. Now, she was quite attractive, sitting in the seat opposite him. She had longish brown hair and an oval-shaped face.

"Solanna", Lucas said, "what's in a breakfast crepe? Isn't that what you ordered?"  
"Yep, it is" she replied. "It has egg, ham, and cheese. It's quite savory; I highly recommend it".

"Thanks, but no thanks" Lucas said. "I'd sooner just stick with the strawberry, to be honest".

"Oh. Well, that's okay" Solanna said.

They sat there for a few minutes, munching on their crepes. Lucas didn't think that he would like it at first, but he was starting to appreciate them quite a lot. He'd always loved pancakes, and these were just like thin pancakes, with strawberries on top instead of baked in.

"Mmm...these are really good" Lucas said. "We should get crepes more often. They have creperies in most cities, right?"

"Yes. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure. The ones in Kalos are the best".

Lucas's eyes widened significantly. "You've been to Kalos? That's quite a long trip from Sinnoh".

"A gal's gotta life her life, right?" Solanna asked rhetorically. "I quite enjoyed it, and I hope that you get the chance to go there someday. I hope we all get the chance to".

"Yeah" Lucas replied wistfully. He was staring off into the distance, past Solanna, past the old town. Of course, the old town was almost all of Eterna City, since that was what the city had been themed after when it had first been built.

"We'll get the chance to go on this journey" Solanna insisted. "At some point, I'll make sure of it. _We_ will make sure of it. It might take weeks, or months, or years, but we're going to get there".

Lucas smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was something completely different.

He felt compelled, somehow, to open up to Solanna more here. He'd known her for several weeks by now, and yet he felt that she didn't know all that much about him.

However, he would wait for the opportunity to arise. From an early age, practically since he had been diagnosed, his parents had always drilled into him that it was bad manners to always steer the conversation back to yourself. He was going to practice those conversation skills right now with Solanna.

"Why did you decide to go on this journey, Lucas?" she asked him. "What did you hope to accomplish? That's something I'd really like to know".

"Uh…".

Lucas scratched his chin. He didn't know what to tell her. On one hand, he was extremely hesitant to explain the full reason to Solanna Luzon, someone whom he had only known for a couple of weeks.

On the other hand, she had shown herself to be trustworthy to him. He trusted her a very significant amount; she'd proven to be quite a good battler, and had generally been a pleasure to be around.

If he couldn't trust Solanna, he couldn't trust anybody.

"You know that I'm autistic, right?" he asked her. He was pretty sure he had told her that at some point, but had just wanted to make sure that she remembered.

"Yes, I do know that" she replied.

"Well, the fact of the matter is...that's part of the reason I wanted to go on a journey".

"It is?"

"Yeah. For me, you would have thought it would be a deterrent. It wasn't, in fact; it was only a deterrent for my parents to _let_ me go on a journey".

"I know the feeling" Solanna replied. "When I was first going to go off to the academy, my parents were quite nervous. They didn't think that I should be doing it. Well, I think that I'm showing them to be wrong right now".

An idea hit Lucas like a bell being rung inside his head. "Are you autistic?" he asked.

"No" Solanna replied. "But they were just nervous, because it was something that they were concerned about. I mean, it's not easy to just let your child go off to boarding school alone, at any age".

The more Lucas thought about it, the more he realized that Solanna was right. He couldn't have imagined what his parents must have been thinking when they let him go off on this great journey.

"I haven't seen my parents in person for over a month now" Lucas realized aloud. "They haven't seen me in action, battling".

He realized his mistake, breaking down into tears almost immediately. He'd thought that he was over the homesickness, but it was hard to get over it when you were talking about it.

"It's okay, Lucas. It is okay" Solanna replied.

"No" he replied. "It's not okay. And you know it's not okay. It's really hard to get over".

"Pain makes us stronger" the girl said. "Whether it be physical pain, mental pain, emotional pain...it makes us who we are. You should learn to live _with_ the homesickness, not in spite of it. And you'll see them again eventually. Doesn't that help?"

It did help, but not that much. Lucas supposed that he hadn't used the strategy enough, that he'd eventually get used to it, and then things would get better. Maybe.

"Anyway", Solanna said, "I think you're very brave for doing this journey. I've read a few things about people with autism; don't a lot of them have a harder time doing things independently?"

"To a certain extent, that is me, yes" Lucas replied. "But I think that this has been good for my independence. Even if I'm with all of you guys. I think that it's going to go just fine".

"That's good to hear".

Just then, Andromeda and Tanner came jogging back, looking very excited indeed.

"Did you win?" Lucas asked. They'd just been away challenging Gardenia themselves, having spent the previous day, along with Solanna and Lucas, sightseeing.

In response, both of the other boys held out their Forest Badges.

"Congratulations" Solanna said. "Are you going to go get your Pokemon healed up?"

"Yeah. Let's do it together" Tanner replied. "Are you guys cool with that?"

"We were just having breakfast" Lucas told the other two boys. "These crepes are delicious!"

"Okay, then" said Tanner. "We'll wait until you're done, and then we'll head over there to heal them up. Once that's done, do you guys want to get out of here?"

"Leave Eterna City?" Lucas asked.

"Well, yeah" Andromeda replied. "I think we've already done all that we need to do here. All four of us have beaten Gardenia, after all".

Lucas was a little reluctant to leave. As he looked around the old town of Eterna City, he thought about how there was no place he'd ever been that was quite like this. It was very special here.

At the same time, however, they'd already seen a good part of the city yesterday. What was more, they still had to get up to Snowpoint City, where they would have another gym battle. It would be another city that they'd be able to explore quite a bit.

"All right" he said, after a thirty-second silence. "If you guys want to leave, I'm game. Let's just heal up our Pokemon and get our bags from the hotel. As soon as we've done that, we are good to go".

As soon as Andromeda looked at Lucas once more, the latter got the sense that he was mentally saying, _I'm very glad we understand each other._

Lucas didn't want to feel like a hostage to all of Andromeda's plans. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he did have the ability to say no. He did have some veto power.

But he wasn't sure that he wanted to use it.

As soon as he and Solanna were done with their crepes, they left the cafe and headed to the nearest Pokemon center. They'd stayed in a hotel, so they knew that they'd have to collect their bags from there before they could start the long walk north.

* * *

 **Is love in the air? I guess we'll find out!**

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 17). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Confuse Ray (Level 12). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite, Scary Face (Level 15).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 16). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark, Bite (Level 18).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 19). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight, Low Sweep (Level 13). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 19).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 21). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 26).**


	38. The Beginning of the End of the World

**This is another short chapter, but I really wanted to get one out today. The reason is so that I can explain something.**

 **I've talked about how I'm going to get my wisdom teeth out for a while. Well, tomorrow is the scheduled date of my surgery. I don't know when I'll be able to write again, and I don't want to keep you guys waiting. So here you go. It's not my favorite chapter, but it's something.**

* * *

 **SATURDAY, JULY 17, 201X - 2:13 PM**

 **ROUTE 216, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 55 DEGREES**

It had now been two days.

Two days since Sam and Muller had left Eterna City. Two days since Koloktos had attacked the children. Two days since they'd seen the video.

That was a long time. A lot could happen in two days.

However, in this case, not a whole lot had occurred. The fact still remained that they were trying to find and capture Lucas Snow, Andromeda Watson, Solanna Luzon, and Tanner Warren. It also still remained that they had not captured any of them, in spite of their best efforts.

"This is a long way to walk" Muller complained. He was lagging behind Sam by a good ten or fifteen meters.

"Well, what did you expect?" Sam replied testily. "This isn't headquarters, Muller. It's not as though we're not supposed to walk a lot out here; you should have been prepared for this from the very beginning".

The other man shrugged. Sam wished that he could have not been so harsh towards his longtime friend. He hated to do so.

At the same time, however, Sam felt as though Muller didn't always fully understand the gravity of their task. Somehow, he felt that this was far bigger than Team Rocket itself. There was a lot more involved here.

He'd never particularly been one to believe in destiny; he'd always found that proposition absolutely ridiculous. Certainly, when other people talked about it, he'd always wondered what they were thinking; they had to be insane to even bring up the possibility.

Now, though, he wasn't so sure. Maybe, just maybe, there was something influencing everything. Something going on, tying all of this together.

 _Great, Sam,_ he told himself. _Now you're thinking like a conspiracy theorist. Nobody likes a conspiracy theorist, so_ put a sock in it. _Stop worrying; it'll be okay._

At night, they had slept under the stars, as they had not brought tents or sleeping bags with them. As a result, it had been fairly hard to get to sleep much of the time.

However, it wasn't all _that_ bad. They had brought extremely warm winter coats to sleep in, which was good, because it got quite cold at night up in the mountains, even in the middle of the summer.

"We're getting close to a town" Muller said. "Do you want to send the video to them once we get into the area with reception?"

Sam barely even had to think about it. After all, both of their jobs were at stake. They had nothing to lose by doing so.

"Yeah, let's do that" he replied. "Maybe we can persuade them to extend the deadline".

As he said it, he felt somewhat like that was wishful thinking. It very well may have been, but he wanted to think optimistically for a change.

For instance, it could have been that they were still trying to make their way through Eterna Forest. That had been an absolute nightmare, one that neither of them particularly wanted to repeat.

"Okay" Muller said, once his iPhone stated that there was a Wi-Fi signal. "Do you want to stop in this town, get a bite to eat, before we keep going?"

Sam saw no reason to refuse. After all, he was getting pretty hungry as well. They were a good bit into the afternoon, and they hadn't had lunch yet.

"I suppose so" Sam replied. "Let's do that".

As soon as they arrived in Coronet Town, Sam realized that the base wasn't very far away at all. Indeed, it was quite close to the town; somewhere that they could go at any time, if they wanted to.

"Do you want to head back to the base and show them the video there?" Sam asked Muller. "After all, we're right there, practically. It'll be a really quick stop; we could have lunch there".

"No" Muller replied. "When you think about it, there will be people who see us enter the mountain. They're going to be highly suspicious of us, and for good reason. No, I think it's best that we just stay in the town. Maybe get some sleeping bags as well".

 _Sleeping bags._

The very notion of having some kind of covering, besides the winter jackets, sounded absolutely heavenly to Sam. He envisioned himself being able to wrap in the sleeping bag, being comfortable enough to sleep without freezing to death. Because he'd been pretty cold the last two nights, much colder than he'd been in Eterna Forest. It didn't help that he was used to the relatively constant temperatures inside the Mount Coronet base.

They were able to see Coronet Town a little more clearly now. It was just a little bit south of the base for Charlie's Angels, but the residents of the town, going about their mid-afternoon business, didn't seem to realize that. There was none of the type of panic that one would usually think would be there.

 _They should be panicking,_ Sam thought. _They know what we're capable of. We've got tons of laboratories in the base._

Most of the town's houses were made out of stone, with plenty of stone walls extended around the village. In addition, there were a great many buildings that were only one story tall, as though they felt like they should be small and insignificant next to the mountain that watched over the town.

Which, of course, was the case.

"Let's not go to a pizzeria this time" Sam said. He knew that he probably sounded a little childish, insisting that they didn't go to one, but he just didn't want to remember how close they had been to capturing the children. Even if they would have gotten captured themselves as a result.

"Fine with me" Muller replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucas and his friends had just departed Eterna City, heading up Route 216.

"Man, I like this route" Tanner said. "We took a train through here once, from Eterna City to Snowpoint City".

Part of Lucas wished that they were taking a train now. At least then they wouldn't have to walk so far. He knew that exercise might help him feel less stressed about everything, but he still wanted to get to Lake Acuity as quickly as possible.

Sinnoh was the world's northernmost region; Lucas had never been this far north. He knew it would be cold in its northernmost city; the question was _how_ cold.

For that reason, as soon as they had left Eterna City, they'd bought four parkas to go along with their sleeping bags. Not only would they be necessary in the higher altitudes of the mountains at night, they would also be necessary once they reached the area where there was snow on the ground all year round.

"That must have been beautiful" Andromeda replied. "How long did it take?"

"Eh, about half a day" Tanner said. "About twelve hours. I think you asked me that because you wanted to know how long it would take on foot".

"Yeah" Solanna replied. "I was wondering. If we walk at three miles per hour, and it's 720 miles to Snowpoint City from Eterna City…".

"That would make it take two hundred and forty hours, or ten days" Lucas replied, proud of his math skills. "Except that it would be more, because we're also taking breaks to eat and sleep. So, two or three weeks".

Immediately, his heart sank at the thought. Two or three weeks of hiking this trail...at least there would be some Pokemon centers scattered every so often. They would get to call their parents. It could be worse.

Even with reassuring himself that things could be worse, he didn't find that to be much consolation. If things could be worse, that meant that they could _get_ worse.

"We spent two weeks in Jubilife City" Solanna said. "We're about to spend that much time hiking Routes 216 and 217. It's insane, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is" Andromeda replied. "But it's the way things go. I promise you, on the way back, we'll take a train. I wanted to take this walk at least once, though".

"Why?" Lucas asked.

"Just to experience it" the older boy answered. "It just always sounded like something that would be interesting to do, and now we're doing it. Once we get up there, though, you know what's happening".

"Another gym battle. And we might stay there for a while" Lucas replied. "Yeah, I know".

"Not just that" Andromeda replied. "There's more, too".

Lucas didn't know if he understood. "What more is there to know?"

"Well, for one, Team Rocket is still after us. It's very possible that they will be expecting us up in Snowpoint City".

The youngest boy's heart stopped. "Are you serious? Then why are we going up there?"

"I really think it's worth the risk" Andromeda replied. "We can't live our lives in fear, Lucas".

"He has a point" Tanner said. "When you've travelled as much as I have, you'll know that there are some things that you just have to deal with. Me in particular, I like to get as much adventure in as possible".

"I see" Lucas replied. He still wasn't too keen on the idea of heading up there, even if there was the remotest possibility that Team Rocket was going to be lying in wait for them in Snowpoint City. However, he did understand what the other two boys were saying. He couldn't constantly be afraid of everything.

"Maybe they'll be there" Solanna said. "Maybe they won't be. Either way, we need to be prepared for just about anything. We don't know what type of Pokemon they will have with them, what type of Pokemon they might have stolen".

 _That_ was a chilling thought. Lucas didn't like to think about it, but it was true.

Just then, there was a sudden orange blur in front of them. Something was running at a really high speed; at least, that was what it looked like.

"Must be a Pokemon" Lucas said. "It must be".

"If we're going to fend off an attack from Team Rocket", Andromeda said, "it'll be nice to have as many Pokemon on our side as possible. Tanner, can you do this?"

"You bet" Tanner replied. The orange blur was just a little bit ahead of them, but it was clearly still going to be possible to catch up if they were fast enough. Tanner had shown himself, over the last few weeks, to be the fastest runner in the group, so he was going to be the one to try and catch said blur.

"Get it, Tanner!" Solanna cheered.

Even though Tanner was quite small, he was able to sprint very quickly. Soon, he was right next to the creature, which appeared to be a Growlithe.

"I won't hurt you" the boy said. "Come with us; we need all the help we can get".

The Growlithe looked at Tanner with a somewhat suspicious expression, then leaped forward and started licking his face. Tanner fell backward, clearly trying not to laugh.

"Huh...yeah, this is quite funny, isn't it?" he said breathlessly. Clearly, some of the wind had been knocked out of him.

Growlithe started smiling as he continued to lick Tanner's face. "Please get off of me" the boy said eventually. "You're crushing me. Please let me breathe".

The Growlithe obliged, allowing Tanner to catch his breath. "I'm going to name you...Courtland. That sounds like a nice name for someone like you".

The newly-christened Courtland looked extremely happy at that, but then started frowning.

"You don't want to come with us?" Solanna asked. She'd jogged up to meet Tanner and Courtland where they were in the path, and Andromeda and Lucas came from right behind them. "Why not?"

Courtland started speaking. His voice sounded almost like it was a bark, except that it was clearly a voice; words were intelligible.

"I do want to come with you" the Growlithe replied, sounding very happy indeed. "But I do have unpleasant news for you".

"What's that?" Solanna said sweetly. It wasn't a poisoned-honey type of voice; rather, it was one of pure kindness, almost like a mother would use.

"There were some people running in the opposite direction. They had black uniforms".

All four children gasped at that.

Everyone knew that, if a person wore a black uniformed with the red letter R stenciled on it, that meant that they were a member of Team Rocket. It appeared, now, that this was what Courtland was talking about.

"Anything else on the uniforms?" Andromeda asked Courtland. "This is important, now. If there's anything else you want us to know, anything else you think is necessary for us to know, you had better tell us. Our fate might depend on it".

The Growlithe paused, but, judging by just how heavy the air felt during the pause, it was clear to tell what he was going to say next.

"The letter R".

* * *

Sam and Muller now sat in a bar in Coronet Town. Watching other patrons of said bar play pool, they looked at the world going by beside them.

"I'm telling you", Muller said, "we are _going_ to catch those kids. If we don't, we're fired. But we won't get fired, because we are going to get them".

"What makes you so confident?" Sam asked, taking a sip out of his drink.

"Determination" the other man said simply. "When you set your mind to something hard enough, it doesn't matter just how difficult it is. You can accomplish it".

That was a pleasing thought for Sam, but it didn't completely reassure him. Somehow, he got the feeling that things could go horribly wrong, and they might not be able to get the children in time for their deadline.

"July twenty-fifth" Sam said. "That's not a lot of time. Only eight days to go".

"We could call the base" Muller suggested. "We could try and persuade them to give us more time. I think that would work well".

"You do?" Sam asked. "Why do you think that would work?"

They already knew about Koloktos, how it was almost able to stop them. He'd thought that the notion that they could have their time extended was outlandish before. Now, he wasn't so sure.

"Let's try it" Sam replied. "But let me make one thing perfectly clear".

"What is that?" Muller asked him.

"We're not doing it in here".

The other man looked around. "No, definitely not".

Sam smiled. "I'm glad we see eye to eye".

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 17). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Confuse Ray (Level 12). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite, Scary Face (Level 15).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 16). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark, Bite (Level 18).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 19). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight, Low Sweep (Level 13). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 19).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 21). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 26). Courtland - Growlithe: Bite, Roar, Ember, Leer, Odor Sleuth, Helping Hand, Flame Wheel, Reversal, Fire Fang (Level 21).**


	39. Extension

**Here is the long-awaited 39th chapter. Thanks for being patient with me during the hiatus.**

 **I don't know what else to say except...yeah. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JULY 25, 201X - 3:57 AM**

 **TEAM ROCKET SINNOH HEADQUARTERS**

 **LOW TEMPERATURE: 43 DEGREES**

Maisie Campbell woke up suddenly.

For a minute, she wasn't sure what had caused her to return to consciousness so abruptly. Normally, she was a fairly sound sleeper, and it took a _lot_ to wake her up.

Perhaps that didn't make her fit to be a member of Team Rocket, but she wasn't involved with any missions where they left the base. Otherwise, it was true; that could have been a very big problem indeed.

There was little doubt in her mind that something out of the ordinary was going on. After all, it wasn't easy to wake her up. Something must have happened that had made it imperative that she be aroused.

She found her answer in the form of her colleague standing over her bedside.

The 21-year-old woman sat up in bed, her back aching. Even though she had a fairly easy time sleeping here, the beds were admittedly not very comfortable. That was just something that she had to deal with as a member of Charlie's Angels.

A 17-year-old grunt, Jacob, was standing over her. Jacob, who had a small beard and was fairly tall, was looking down at Maisie.

"What's going on?" Maisie asked. "It's, like, four in the morning".

"I know, but you're wanted in the control room" Jacob replied. "It's not my decision, but you know Charlie. He's kind of a…".

Jacob clearly didn't want to say _control freak,_ but it was heavily implied. Maisie was left standing there, wondering what else would be said.

"I know what you mean" she said. "He's used to getting what he wants. Let me tell you something, though; I'm not going".

The grunt looked at her with an annoyed expression. "I don't care what you want to do. My instructions were to make sure that you went over there. You're wanted in the control room, no matter whatever it takes. If I have to knock you out in order to bring you there-".

"Then knock me out" Maisie replied. "At least I'd get a little more sleep then".

Jacob gave a slight smile. "I appreciate your sense of humor. In any case, you follow me. I'm supposed to escort you there".

Maisie didn't particularly like being _escorted_ anywhere around headquarters. Not only did she know the place like the back of her hand, having been living here for five years, but, what was more, she was an adult. It made absolutely no sense for her to be escorted around the place like a five-year-old.

"Okay" she said reluctantly. "I'll head over there with you".

Jacob smiled again. "I'm glad that you're being cooperative".

Maisie felt like punching Jacob in the face. Even if she got into a fight with him, she knew who would win. She was overweight and fleshy, while Jacob had quite a strong degree of muscle. He'd be able to take her with hardly any effort at all.

Of course, they were allies, not enemies. As the realization of who would win in a fight went through her mind, she also reminded herself of that basic truth. There wasn't going to be a civil war among two of Charlie's Angels anytime soon.

She followed him out of the room and down the corridor. Since it was nighttime, the lights were off, so Jacob had brought a flashlight with him. He was illuminating the area ahead.

 _If I can't take that flashlight from him, maybe I do need Jacob to lead me._ That was what went through Maisie's mind as she followed the young man through the hallway.

"It's July twenty-fifth" Jacob said eventually. "Do you know what the significance of today is?"

Maisie knew, of course. Everybody at headquarters knew.

Today was the day that, after weeks of trying, Sam and Muller would be forced to reveal if they had found the children or not. Those children went by the names of Lucas Snow, Andromeda Watson, Solanna Luzon, and Tanner Warren, and they were considered threats to Team Rocket - not just its Sinnoh branch, but every branch, in each region of the world.

Maisie didn't know exactly why they were considered dangerous. After all, they were just four kids, they couldn't have had that much power to change things.

 _Don't worry about that right now, Maisie,_ she told herself. _Right now, there's been no sign of them._

 _That you know of,_ the fear-mongering part of her brain said. _They don't tend to tell people of your status the new threats._

Maisie had always thought that, compared to many of the other grunts, she was fairly well respected. After all, she'd been there for several years by this point - it wasn't as though she was a newbie who had to be introduced to everything slowly.

Now, however, she felt as though she had been kept completely in the dark. If she was being called to the control room, that could not have been good news at all.

Realizing that she'd been talking with Jacob, she decided that she might as well pay lip service to what he'd been saying.

"Yeah" she said. "That was the deadline, wasn't it?"

"Actually", Jacob replied, "that's what Charlie wanted to talk to you about. It's something to do with the deadline, and how it has now reached us".

It was well-known by now that Sam Scott and Muller Bigshot were currently on a mission to discover and apprehend the four children who were on a journey together. AS of right now, they had had no known successes, and, unless things changed, they were about to be terminated from their positions as members of Team Rocket.

Maisie had limited sympathy for them. On one hand, it wasn't as though they had done anything wrong, other than failing to find the children in time. Even that might have been forgivable - they could have been anywhere in Sinnoh, for Arceus's sake.

On the other hand, she reminded herself of the fact that these children posed a real and present danger to their mission as Team Rocket. Their operation, if it was indeed a real operation, had to be shut down somehow.

Jacob led Maisie down the final corridor into the control room, which was guarded by a large metal door of a circular shape. In the middle of this door, a large red gem had been planted, presumably to give it a little more color and contrast it with the otherwise grim, gray landscape.

Of course, it was hard for the place not to feel grim when they were so far underground. Maisie had had a fear of being so far below the surface of Mount Coronet, but, once she'd lived here for a few weeks, she'd gotten used to it. Now, she was free of the apprehension.

Which was a good thing, because she wouldn't have been very effective at her job otherwise.

She entered the control room. Jacob didn't follow her; instead, given that it was only a little after four in the morning, he was presumably going back to his quarters.

 _Lucky him,_ Maisie thought bitterly. _He gets a decent night's sleep, while I have to stay up early. What kind of world is this?_

Charlie's lieutenant, Eric, was sitting in front of the large computer screen, talking with someone on the other end. At first, it was hard to tell whom it was, because his face was only illuminated by the light of an iPhone against the dark sky.

And then it became clear. It was Sam Scott.

There was absolutely no mistaking it. He was a tall man of twenty with blue eyes and short, dark brown hair. If that wasn't Sam Scott, there was no Sam Scott, let's just put it that way.

"Look, we did all we could" Sam said on the other end. "We really did. And we tried to defuse the threat that those kids posed, but-".

"But _what?"_ Eric snarled into the large computer screen. "Samuel F. Scott, you do realize that, if we don't capture those kids first, they could cause so much damage to our cause? This is a mission of _utmost importance"._

Sam raised both his arms in defense. "I never thought that you'd be so strict about everything".

"Was the deadline of July 25 not clear enough? And you thought we wouldn't be _strict?"_ Eric was still snarling as he said, "You know, Sam, we could terminate you right now. You could have the full baggage of having once been a Team Rocket member, only without all of the benefits. You don't want that, do you?"

Sam's look turned from one of angry desperation to what looked like one of pleading. "I didn't think that…".

"That I would extend the deadline, huh?" asked Eric. "Well, you know that I can also be quite merciful. I don't extend that mercy to just anybody, though".

Sam nodded, and Maisie stood there watching. She was shocked at what was happening.

She hadn't thought that Eric would even entertain the idea of extending a deadline. It was practically unheard of; when you were with the Sinnoh branch of Team Rocket, you put up or shut up. There were absolutely no half-measures allowed.

"So I will extend your deadline. You now have until the fourteenth of August. That's twenty days from now, and it should be plenty of time. I suppose that the automaton of Koloktos did not have the desired effect?"  
"No, it did not" Sam replied sheepishly. "We'd thought that we would be able to neutralize the threat that way. Clearly, it was not as effective as we had desired".

It had become common knowledge within Charlie's Angels that Sam and Muller had hard-wired an automaton, deep within Eterna Forest, to attack the children when they came across him. That had happened, but the attack had not managed to kill Lucas, Andromeda, Solanna, and Tanner.

 _I think we'll still have plenty of chances to do so,_ Maisie thought. _If the deadline is being extended to August 14, that's almost three more weeks. That should be plenty of time for them._

Of course, they'd been wrong before. The judgment had been that July 25 had been plenty of time.

 _But this is different,_ Maisie tried to reassure herself. _This time, they'll get what they deserve. We'll show them not to mess with Team Rocket._

 **(Insert a horizontal line here)**

 **SUNDAY, JULY 25, 201X - 6:18 AM**

 **ROUTE 217, SINNOH**

 **HIGH TEMPERATURE: 56 DEGREES**

In the thin, chilly mountain air, Tanner shivered as he stirred. Once he opened his eyes and drew a breath, he was able to see the fog that it created.

Scratching his eyebrow, he was very glad to be alive. He was even more glad that they had brought plenty of provisions with them, so that they could survive the mountains. Much like Eterna Forest had been, they hadn't known if they'd be able to find much food along the way, so they were playing it safe here.

That was just fine with Tanner. He'd lived his whole life playing things safe, after all. Why would he stop with that now?

 _Because you're on a journey right now, with three other kids?,_ a voice inside his head asked him. _And, the more you try to hide the fact that you're a coward, the easier it will be for the others to discover it. Sorry, Tanner._

The boy shivered once more. It had been a week that they'd been in the mountains, and, since then, he'd constantly felt on edge, as though he were being watched. He didn't know why this was, but he wasn't a fan of that feeling.

As he looked over at the other, sleeping members of his team, he thought about how unique all of them were.

Andromeda appeared to be holding some secrets. Even though, in sleep, his unkempt black hair looked significantly neater and more peaceful, his general look always appeared as someone who was hiding something.

Of course, Tanner still trusted him. There had been plenty of times they'd been in danger, in Eterna Forest for instance, when he'd made sure that all of them were safe. He'd become the de facto leader of the group - his services were very much welcome for all of them.

That said, the richest member of the group had a feeling that, somehow, there was something about Andromeda that he hadn't told them. Something he hadn't told _anyone._

 _He's not a Team Rocket plant, though,_ Tanner thought. That reassured him slightly, although he didn't have any basis for rejecting that idea other than simply not wanting it to be true.

As for Solanna, she'd definitely gotten somewhat leaner over the last month. She was no longer the slightly chubby girl they had first met; she was in much better shape than she'd been in before, that was for sure.

It wasn't just the change in her physique that was noteworthy. It had seemed that, over the last few weeks, she'd gotten a little bit more confident in herself. She had been willing to admit some of her most embarrassing thoughts to the others, but she seemed to be talking mostly to Lucas when she was doing so.

And then there was _Lucas._

Like Solanna, Lucas, although he hadn't necessarily been chubby to begin with, had lost a couple of pounds. This wasn't for starving himself at all; rather, he'd been getting quite a bit more exercise.

Much like Solanna as well, he'd also seemed to get more confident. Now, when they were having social interactions, he was looking the others in the eyes more frequently. They seemed to tire him out less easily, which was a good thing, since conversations were pretty much a necessity when you were a member of a team like this one.

Tanner smiled. They'd overcome so much together already. Once they reached Snowpoint City, far to the north of here, that was when things were going to get real.

* * *

 **Lucas: Orkun - Lucario: Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, Metal Claw, Counter, Feint, Power-Up Punch (Level 17). Vinaka - Vulpix: Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Confuse Ray (Level 12). Takali - Totodile: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Rage, Bite, Scary Face (Level 15).**

 **Andromeda: Tai - Turtwig: Tackle, Withdraw, Razor Leaf (Level 16). Soko - Luxio: Tackle, Leer, Charge, Spark, Bite (Level 18).**

 **Solanna: Aparri - Charmeleon: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage (Level 19). Bayon - Machop: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight, Low Sweep (Level 13). Kasama - Pikachu: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave (Level 19).**

 **Tanner: Tavua - Chimchar: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Fury Swipes, Flame Wheel (Level 21). Zapatera - Zorua: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Scary Face, Taunt (Level 26). Courtland - Growlithe: Bite, Roar, Ember, Leer, Odor Sleuth, Helping Hand, Flame Wheel, Reversal, Fire Fang (Level 21).**


End file.
